Ah! Another Christmas has come and gone but come to think of it, it was as if this would be the last Christmas. The frenzy that greeted the preparations here in Nigeria sent some chills down my veins. I really got scared and a lot of thoughts went through my mind. I began to wonder aloud, God, if only we could attach this much importance to our committment and dedication to the service of God and care for our fellow men, the world would be heaven on earth.
As i journeyed home from Abuja to spend the Christmas with my aged mother, what i witnessed on our roads was quite un nerving, They other road users drove with reckless aboundon as if their lives and those of the passengers they were carrying meant nothing. They did not give a damn that other drivers also had a right to using the road.
The real gist of the matter is the over loading of the vehicles with both human and material goods. It was so bad that each time i passed or they drove past me, i wondered if they will at all make it to their destinations or so i thought not until someone drove straight on as if expecting to choose the only available option of heading for the ditches in the meandering Akwanga bends.
All these for the sake of celebrating Christmas? Not before long, i came by a moumont crowd around three Cars that had a head on collision and wasted bodies sprowled around the bushes including the injured. Instead of the celebrating the joy that Christmas brings, they ended it on the road due to Christmas fever and reckless driving thereby visiting their loved ones with pain and sorrow.
It doesn’t make sense. Christmas or no Christmas. We should be mindful of other road users and drive with some sanity. When next you develop Christmas fever, stop and ask the Lord to drive the fever away and replace it with the true spirit of the celebration which calls for somber reflection on the life and times of Christ in order to become better christians. Astitch in time, it is often said, saves nine.
What is your resolution in respect of road safety in the new year?
Filed under: Nigeria news
Road safety should be made a priority in our country. The alarming rate of road accident and the rising death toll is unacceptable. Our roads should be made safer by ensuring that the roads are adequately and constantly maintained. there are too many pot holes begging to be sealed. Gooluck, please bring us better luck in the new year.