How The Sun Reporter Miraculously Cheated By Ola Kehinde-Balogun

Friday, December 12, 2014 would remain a testimony day in the diary of this reporter. That was the day he survived a ghastly head-on collision with an oncoming vehicle. It stunned many eyewitnesses to see that the driver escaped from the wrecked car unhurt.

While Mr. Azeez, the driver of the other vehicle sustained bruises and fracture in his lower arm, no life was lost in any of the two cars that collided. Of the two cars, one was badly damaged, while the other was completely destroyed in the accident, leaving them to count their losses in mon­etary terms only. Indeed, many were not as lucky to be alive however to recount their experience.

How did the accident occur? Olas­unkanmi explained: “I had left Ibadan at about 7.00pm, not speeding. Immediately I drove past Gbongan junction, vehicles were diverting to the other lane and I fol­lowed suit, because there were countless number of gullies and potholes ahead.”

Asked if there was any signpost au­thorising such a diversion, Olasunkanmi said: “It is the regular thing that vehicles get diverted to the other side of the road once they get to those bad portions after Gbongan, moving towards Ile-Ife, because the road is completely damaged.

“The road is so bad to the point that every motorist would slow down to as low as10 kilometre an hour, which poses a greater risk to the motorists driving at night from the men of the underworld. This is different from the regular occur­rence of ramming into big potholes that would instantly deflate tyres and prevent the commuters from continuing their journey.

“For this reason, I can tell you that every vehicle had to divert at one point or the other while advancing towards Ile-Ife roundabout. So, it does not seem an of­fence, as every motorist had diverted to one-way side of the road.

“Most times even, you get to see an official of the Federal Road Safety Corps (FRSC) stationed at the end of the bad portion of the road re-directing the one-way motorists back to their original lane when the road becomes manageable. This tells you that everyone diverts to the other lane from Gbongan to Ile-Ife roundabout.

From the members of the community that helped in rescuing both Olasunkanmi and Azeez from the accident scene came many testimonies about the degree of incessant accidents occurring around that spot, with all accusing the unholy diver­sion on that part of the express road.

A community member who partook in the rescue operation lamented: “The countless number of road gullies have turned the supposed expressway to another death trap and have constituted a nightmare to the motorists and com­muters plying the region. Road users are therefore forced to divert to the other side of the road, taking the wrong lane with its attendant risks. We witness multiple ac­cidents here regularly, just because of this diversion.

“There should be a way of putting a full stop to one-way diversion on this road, because a lot of vehicles over-speed. So, there is too much risk in taking the wrong lane on this road. And if government would not do a good work on those bad portions, it is then better they close the bad road permanently, and make the motorists recognise this other road as a dual high­way. This is because many have died just on this short distance between Gbongan and Ile-Ife.”

Recalling the exact hour of the accident, Olasunkanmi, who was still in shock, explained: “The accident occurred within a twinkle of an eye. All I just heard sud­denly was a loud noise, as though I had hit a drum or a stumbling block.

“Although, I was not speeding at all, I guessed the other driver did not envisage an oncoming vehicle on his way. He had overtaken a long truck, with our full lights blocking the view of each of us. The next thing we heard was a loud noise. Thank God for my own car’s airbag alongside the seat belt that held me down, and prevented me hitting my chest or head on the wheel. It was a miracle.”

The driver of the other vehicle, Mr. Azeez, also narrated how he got rescued: ‘Several people came to my rescue, because I was almost going to be trapped in the car. With the aid of cutlasses, and other metal, the mangled car was further broken to give me an allowance of exit. Instantly, I knew I had broken my arm, as I clamoured for medical attention.”

While counting his losses, the reporter decried the situation where all the blame of the accident was heaped on him because he took the usual one-way that everyone else took. He said: “Despite that it is a known fact to all and sundry, includ­ing the law enforcement agents on that side of the road, that everybody would divert to the other lane to beat portion of the road with gullies, I was still seen as the only one that took the wrong lane on that axis.

“We live in a highly hypocritical society. Let me tell you, as I speak now, motorists are diverting to the other side of the road on that particular expressway, because, the other part of the road is not motorable. I mean driving all the way from Ibadan, no vehicle would divert to take the wrong lane until we got to that said area.

“Meanwhile nobody enforced the law against driving on the wrong lane on this particular portion of the road, not even during the day when the FRSC officials and policemen were seen all over the road. But the moment an accident occurs, that is when the law officers would wake up to evoke the law against taking the wrong lane. Were they waiting to see accidents before doing what is right?”

Olasunkanmi who lamented that he would have to pay through his nose the cost of the two damaged cars, hospital bills, towing vehicles, among other un­expected expenses, still expressed thanks to God for sparing his life. He advised motorists to shun travelling that route in the night.

Speaking with our correspondent, an FRSC official who pleaded anonymity because he was not authorised to speak on the matter, affirmed: “One-way is one-way. Whether one million people are using a route illegally or a few people are the ones plying one-way, it is still one-way.

“I can understand that the road is not good. In fact, we may not have roads in certain instances, but to have to divert is completely risky, especially at night. And whenever an accident occurs, nobody would reason with the fellow that has diverted to a one-way, he would automati­cally take all the blames and the loss. The consequences are enormous,” he warned.

Continued he: “Commuters and motorists should always be cautious and endeavour to do the right thing, so that when an accident occurs, an individual would be justified in the sight of the law. So many precious souls have been cut short by bad spots on our roads, yet most of the roads are not done. So, I will advise that the onus is on every citizen to avoid night driving, especially on such terrible routes where you would be forced to divert legally or illegally. Our people must know that heavens can wait, life must be protected.”