BLOCKING OF ROADS AND ITS CONSEQUENCES

                                                                              EDITORIAL

 

A young man was reported to have lost his life recently as a result of the blocking of a busy Mbiri/Umunede road at Umunede in Ika North East Local Government Area of Delta State.

                            

The road was said to have been blocked with sand and gravel being used to construct a branch of a new generation bank in Umunede town.

                            

According to an eyewitness account, the young man was riding on a motorcycle, and was on his way to the church when the accident that led to his death occurred.

 

Ika Weekly was made to understand that there have been complaints by residents of the town, especially those living very close to the construction site, to the authorities and those involved to have the road cleared for free flow of traffic, but all entreaties were said to have fallen on deaf ears.

 

It is instructive to state here that human life cannot be compromised for whatever reason or for any amount of money. This is because local governments have been known to collect money from individuals and organizations to have roads blocked. Instances abound where most roads in major towns and cities are taken over by ceremonies of one party or other, thereby causing a lot of inconveniences to road users.

                            

This particular case is most unfortunate because a young man with a very bright future has lost his life because of the greed of some local government officials and the callousness of those responsible for the blocking of the road.

                            

We are therefore reiterating the need for both government, corporate organizations and members of the public to wake up to the onerous responsibility of protecting the lives of every Nigerian.

                            

We clearly abhor a situation where things are done that affect human life negatively. Blocking a major road is normally an offense, and should be condemned in its entirety.

                            

We therefore call on governments both at the local and state levels to stop this ugly trend, to avoid further lose of lives on our roads. We recommend that any council official found to be involved in the illegal collection of money and granting of permission to have any road blocked, for whatever reason, should be adequately sanctioned.

 

Nobody should deliberately do anything clearly negates the safety and security of lives, for all human lives are sacred and therefore should not be gambled with.

 

A word is enough for the wise.