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Incidents of tanker accidents on Nigerian roads are almost becoming an everyday affair with many blaming Nigeria’s weak regulatory structures for the carnage. But a transport and logistics expert, Wole Akinleye thinks differently.
Speaking in Ibadan recently on CEO Africa’s Community Today, Akinleye stated that the Nigerian public, expecially tanker drivers and vehicle owners, share in the blame.
According to him, “Most vehicles on our roads are death traps. The laws and safety procedures are there but you realise that the people want government to relax the laws”.
He however agreed that government shares in the blame because stringent safety procedures need to be enforced.
In the case of tanker and trailer mishaps, he said: “We are not obeying weight distribution rules. In europe, the law is strict on the fact that a tractor must carry a load of more than 20 tonnes on double axle but in Nigeria we see tractors doing 40 tonnes on single axle. Is that normal? The rules are there, the enforcement is key. And the enforcement will work with the seriousness of government and coperation of the public”
Wole Akinleye was the pioneer General Manager of the Pacesetters Transport Services, operators of the bus mass transit system in Oyo State popularly called Ajumose buses
Ajumose buses
“The commercial and industrial development of a state depends on an efficient transport system and the ease with which people can move about”, Akinleye, said, stressing that the Ajumose buses have solved a huge part of the transport challenges in Ibadan.
He hailed Governor Abiola Ajimobi’s vision with the buses, stressing that without force, the buses have succeeded in driving rickety buses out of Ibadan and given ease to movement of people. He said that even though the Ajumose buses had brushes with the National Union of Road Transport Workers (NURTW) at inception, they got to realise that who wins depends on who offers the best in terms of comfort, convenience and price”.
He pointed out that during his time as Pacesetters boss, the company spent a fortune in maintaining the buses and saying he is sure similar efforts was going on there.
Transport and logistics business
According to Akinleye, transportation is a safe haven for investors “because you can trace your investments and plan on it”.
He added: “The reason people lose money in transport and logistics is because they do not engage experts. Besides, transport is very tasking, physically and mentally”.