Why Is the Tinubu Government Building New Highways While Existing Roads Become Death Traps?
By Igbotako Nowinta
The Oluku inferno in Benin City, Edo State, was more than a tragic accident; it was a chilling reminder of the deadly consequences of Nigeria’s failing road infrastructure.
When a petrol tanker overturned near the busy Bob Izua Market, in Oluku, triggering a devastating inferno that destroyed property and livelihoods, Nigerians were confronted once again with the brutal price of infrastructure neglect.
A pothole contributed to the tanker overturning, as I discovered, when I went to the scene of the tragedy to investigate, a day ago. But the larger question remains: How many more Nigerians must die before road maintenance becomes a national emergency?
Across Nigeria, potholes have become death traps, damaging vehicles, triggering accidents, crippling businesses and exposing motorists to needless danger. Yet governments continue to announce ambitious projects while existing roads deteriorate.
President Bola Tinubu’s administration must explain this troubling contradiction. Why pursue the multibillion-dollar Lagos–Calabar Coastal Highway with such ambition while motorists struggle to navigate dangerous potholes on existing highways?
What is the value of constructing new roads if the roads Nigerians use every day remain hazardous? This is not an argument against new infrastructure. It is a demand for common sense, responsible priorities and respect for human life.
Road maintenance is not a luxury. It is a public responsibility. Every unrepaired pothole on a busy highway is a potential accident waiting to happen, particularly where fuel tankers and other heavy-duty vehicles operate.
The Federal Government must urgently inspect dangerous highways, repair defective sections, release funds for essential maintenance and ensure that contractors deliver quality work.
The circumstances surrounding the Oluku tragedy must also be independently investigated, with accountability wherever negligence is established.
The Edo State Government’s proposed assistance to affected traders should translate into prompt, transparent relief. But compensation after disaster cannot replace prevention before tragedy strikes.
Government must demonstrate conscience in its priorities. Grand infrastructure announcements mean little to citizens whose livelihoods can disappear in a roadside inferno.
Nigeria cannot afford to sacrifice lives at the altar of misplaced priorities. The Oluku tragedy must not become another headline soon forgotten.
A pothole may look small, but the consequences of neglect can be enormous. When public infrastructure becomes a threat to human life, silence and inaction are no longer acceptable.
Nowinta Igbotako, is a social critic and Executive Director, Nigeria Good Governance Research Centre (NGGRC).
