By Engr. Bola Babarinde
On Saturday, June 20, 2026, what should have been a routine journey from Lagos to Ibadan turned into a painful lesson about the state of emergency management and road safety administration in Nigeria.
I departed Lagos at approximately 8:45 a.m. alongside my media aide and a cousin. We were heading to Ibadan to attend a family ancestral cultural gathering at Agidi Ogun Compound in Oje, Ibadan. The journey began smoothly. We stopped briefly at a popular amala restaurant near Sagamu Interchange for breakfast and later visited our fabrication factory at Ajegunle Industrial Estate to inspect ongoing work. Altogether, these activities consumed less than forty minutes before we continued our journey.
Traffic conditions were surprisingly orderly. Most truck drivers remained in their designated lanes, a welcome departure from the usual disorder experienced on Nigerian highways. However, about forty kilometres before Ibadan, our journey came to an abrupt halt.
What followed was a nightmare, or perhaps more accurately, a “daymare.”
For virtually the entire day, thousands of motorists remained trapped in an endless traffic gridlock. Families, businesspeople, elderly passengers, and children sat helplessly under the scorching sun without adequate information or assistance. Yet the cause of the chaos was neither mysterious nor unavoidable.
We later learned that two trucks, including an LPG tanker, had caught fire on Friday, nearly twenty four hours earlier. The incident had left damaged vehicles obstructing the highway. The question Nigerians must ask is simple. Why were the burnt vehicles still there after more than a day?
How does a major economic corridor linking Lagos and the rest of the country remain partially blocked for such an extended period without decisive intervention from the agencies responsible for highway management and road safety?
The Lagos Ibadan Expressway is not just another road. It is arguably Nigeria’s most important commercial highway. Every hour of disruption translates into economic losses, missed appointments, delayed cargo deliveries, fuel wastage, environmental pollution, and avoidable hardship for citizens.
This was not merely a traffic problem. It was a governance problem.
To be fair, we observed some personnel of the Federal Road Safety Corps and members of the Amotekun Corps attempting to restore order. However, their efforts were overwhelmed by poor coordination, inadequate incident management, and the familiar indiscipline displayed by some motorists. The reckless conduct of certain security escorts attached to public officials further worsened the situation, reinforcing the unfortunate perception that the convenience of a privileged few matters more than the welfare of ordinary Nigerians.
What troubled many motorists was not the accident itself. Accidents happen worldwide. What sparked public anger was the apparent lack of urgency in resolving the aftermath.
In advanced transportation systems, emergency response protocols are activated immediately following major highway incidents. Burnt vehicles are removed swiftly. Alternative traffic plans are implemented. Motorists receive real time updates. Agencies coordinate seamlessly. The objective is simple. Restore normalcy as quickly as possible while protecting lives and property.
Nigeria deserves no less.
The Federal Road Safety Corps was established with a noble vision. In its formative years, under the influence of distinguished Nigerians who championed road safety reforms, the organization earned respect and public confidence. Today, many citizens fear that the institution has drifted far from those ideals.
The issue is bigger than one traffic incident. It is about accountability.
When a major federal highway remains effectively crippled for more than twenty four hours because accident debris has not been cleared, there should be consequences. There should be investigations. There should be performance reviews. Officials responsible for emergency coordination should explain what happened, why it happened, and how similar failures will be prevented in the future.
Government agencies exist to solve problems, not merely to observe them.
The administration of President Bola Ahmed Tinubu has repeatedly emphasized efficiency, economic productivity, and improved public service delivery. Road safety management must become part of that conversation. Citizens should not spend an entire day on the road and still fail to reach a destination that should ordinarily take less than two hours because of bureaucratic inertia and poor emergency response systems.
This incident offers an opportunity for reform.
First, emergency clearance teams should be established along critical highways with strict response timelines. Second, technology driven traffic monitoring systems should provide real time information to motorists. Third, performance metrics for road safety officials should include emergency response effectiveness, not merely enforcement statistics. Fourth, independent audits of major traffic incidents should become standard practice.
Most importantly, government must determine whether the current structure of highway traffic management remains fit for purpose. If reform can restore efficiency and public trust, then reform should proceed immediately. If structural changes are required, then policymakers must have the courage to pursue them.
Nigerians are remarkably patient people. Yet patience should never be mistaken for acceptance.
The thousands of citizens trapped on the Lagos Ibadan Expressway that Saturday deserved better. They deserved a system that responds swiftly to emergencies. They deserved competent coordination. They deserved accountability.
As our team eventually made the difficult decision to abandon the trip and return to Lagos in order to catch a scheduled flight from Murtala Muhammed International Airport, one thought remained unavoidable. After spending almost an entire day on the road without reaching a destination that was only minutes away, one could not help but wonder whether those entrusted with managing our highways truly appreciate the suffering endured by ordinary Nigerians.
That question deserves an answer.
Nigeria deserves action.
Enough is enough.