JOSHUA NICHOLAS
According to data recently released by the World Health Organization (WHO), an estimated 55 million people died worldwide. Of these, 1.3 million were due to road injuries, equating to roughly 3500 each day from road traffic injuries. By these statistics road traffic accidents (RTA) ranked among the top 10 leading causes, a reality that was not existent a decade ago almost at par with chronic diseases such as HIV/AIDS and diabetes mellitus. By 2030, car accidents will be the fifth leading cause of death in the world, if this trend were to continue. Globally, RTA is the leading cause of injury-related deaths.
In Nigeria, injuries and deaths resulting from RTA are on the rise and accounts for the highest proportion of deaths on the African continent. Road accidents are Nigeria’s third-leading cause of overall deaths, the leading cause of trauma-related deaths and the most common cause of disability.
According to the WHO, the country has 1042 deaths a year for every 100,000 vehicles, one of the highest rates of road fatalities in the world; the equivalent figures for the United States and Britain are 15 and 7, respectively.
The state of roads in Nigeria had always kept me amazed. The Government from every part of the nation pays little or no attention to this serious issue, that is rated as the third leading cause of overall deatyh in the country.
The shock absorber and the balance on the kind of SUV our officials make use of may also lead to the current blindness towards the state of bad roads all over the nation; both Federal, State and Local roads are all in a state of “ticketstodeath” for the motorist that ply on them daily.
It is on response to this menance and the conscious value for human lives that Chief Engr. Johnbosco Onunkwo has come to the rescue of Unizik students to construct a world-class bus stand and deliver the community from the age long deteriorating bus station.
Engr. Onunkwo, an oil mogul cum philanthropist, reitirated his commitment towards the project on Monday 23rd September, 2019 and assured the University community that the multi million Naira project will be completed by November in a length of barely two months.
Just like Engr. Onunkwo, who is also the President and Founder of Johnbosco Onunkwo Foundation, other Nigerians should emulate his gestures and contribute positively to National Growth and development, not leaving everything for the Government alone.
To an end note, the Unizik Students Union President showered encomiums on the philanthropist for his extraordinary passion and zeal towards the advancement of the populace and the progress of humanity.
In his words, “He asked us what do we have that is ready, in my own part I felt this is preparedness meeting opportunity and then success begins”.
“I took it upon myself…I already prepared a live presentation of how the bus station looks like and how we want it to be. So when the opportunity came and he asked that question it was a dream come true. We named the park after him, which caught his attention and he told us that if it’s what we want, he is willing to do it. We were so happy because for like 10-15 years the park has been a nightmare for the students; it has also maintained a regular campaign promise for the previous Students Union Governments. However, on 9th August, 2019, this reality was initiated and I became the happiest man on Earth knowing that it is happening in my time as the President, also getting to know that the students will be so elated to see the new structure of the bus station because it’s been a very big problem. So when this opportunity came, I said Thank you Jesus; I have barely two, three months to leave office and he promised that by the end of November, the project will be completed. I am so happy because I am bowing out in grand style.”
“Honestly, I am very very happy and I know the students of this institution are also happy. You can now wear your white and have peace of mind when enroute to the bus stand” he concluded.
The civil societies, Government, individuals, organisations, religious institutions, etc should all come out to fight the rise of poor roads in the country which is our greatest threat to human existence and security.