Transporters, under the aegis of the Road Transport Employers Association of Nigeria (RTEAN) and the National Union of Road Transport Workers (NURTW), on Wednesday protested the removal of speed breakers in the Oko-Olowo area along the Ilorin—Jebba expressway in Kwara State.
They recalled that the erection of speed breakers on the highway, at the instance of the state government, significantly put a stop to fatalities hitherto recorded on the road but wondered why the contractor recently engaged by the federal government for rehabilitation work on the road removed the speed breakers.
The protesters noted that the road had since returned to its former death trap for commuters and residents, a result of the contractor’s action.
They carried placards with the inscriptions such as “federal government should protect road users”, “stop killing us in Oko-Olowo”, “our lives matter on Oko-Olowo road”, “we say no to avoidable accidents”, reinstall speed breakers in Oko-Olowo”, “bring back the speed breakers now.”
The state chairman of RTEAN, Alhaji AbdulRahman Onikijipa, who led the protest alongside his NURTW counterpart, Alhaji AbdulRazaq Ariwoola, demanded the immediate restoration of the speed breakers, insisting that they would not watch helplessly while their members perish on account of negligence.
Onikijipa disclosed that the intervention of the leadership of transport unions prompted the state government to build speed breakers on the highway, notwithstanding that the responsibility lies within the doorstep of the federal government.
He urged the federal government to restore the speed breakers without delay and ensure that any future road work factors in proper safety features.
The RTEAN chairman also called on the government to hold accountable those who authorised the removal of the speed breakers without public consultation.
He warned that the transport unions would mobilise their members in the state to demand swift action if urgent steps were not taken on their demand.
The state chairman of NURTW, Alhaji AbdulRazaq Ariwoola, called for the restoration of the speed breakers on the road as a temporary measure.
Ariwoola, who spoke through the state secretary of the union, Mr Aliyu Yemi Rasheed, also called for the erection of overhead and pedestrian bridges in Oko-Olowo as a long-term solution.
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