Kaduna-Zaria Highway Reconstruction: NMA Laments Increase In Loss Of Lives To Accidents
BY AMOS TAUNA, KADUNA – The Nigerian Medical Association (NMA), Kaduna state chapter, has called on the federal and Kaduna state governments and other agencies saddled with the responsibility of ensuring safety of lives on the nation’s highways to expedite action on the repairs on the Kaduna-Zaria road in order to end the needless loss of lives.
NMA noted that since the commencement of the reconstruction of the road and subsequent blockade and road diversion, it has led to increased road traffic accidents and impacted negatively on the already overstretched accident and emergency services in the hospitals.
Addressing newsman in Kaduna on Thursday, state chairman of the NMA, Dr. Stephen Akau Kache said, “It is important to note that many travelers along this road suffer untold hardship and are exposed to enormous risks due to the blockade and several diversions on certain sections of the road.
“This in turn has resulted in loss of man-hours and several accidents have occurred with varying degrees of injuries and deaths. The most recent of which happened on Monday, 10th June, 2019, in which several people were either injured or lost their lives which led to the death of Professor Adeola Abosede Orogade from the department of Paediatric, Ahmadu Bello University Teaching Hospital, Zaria.”
The NMA therefore called on government among others to declare a state of emergency on the Kaduna-Zaria expressway, by deploying a joint task force of security operatives on the road to ensure strict adherence to traffic laws.
It added that there is the need to deploy cranes and other equipment at strategic locations along the road that could be used to extract victims who are trapped in vehicles as well as establish emergency medical units in strategic locations along the road.
The association also want the government to prevail on the contractors to adequately mobilize and complete the road construction.
The NMA said that in the interim, to curb road accidents, a number of diversions on the road should be minimized to one at a time and by extension the repair of the road should be done in shorter segments.
“Temporary rumble strips (speed breakers) should be the vehicles while on that portion of the road. Set up mobile courts to try and prosecute traffic offenders.
“We believe that the reconstruction of the road is a laudable initiative and all efforts must be put in place to ensure the safety of lives plying the road,” the NMA said.
