The
frequency with which the convoy of Kogi State Governor, Idris Wada, is involved
in accidents have become troubling.
To say
many people were shocked, when the news broke last week that the convoy of the
Governor killed was involved in another accident is to state the obvious. The
former National President, Academic Staff Union of Universities, ASUU, Prof. Festus
Iyayi, died in an accident involving Wada's convoy. Iyayi was on his way to
Kano for the National Executive Council, NEC meeting of ASUU.
The bus
with which Professor Festus Iyayi was travelling reportedly had a
head-on-collision with one of the escort vehicles of the Governor on his way to
the National Congress of ASUU in Kano, where the issue of the on-going strike
action embarked upon by the lecturers would have been discussed. The incident
occurred at a failed portion of the highway around Lokoja in Kogi State.
Iyayi’s
death has since become a setback to the purported plan of ASUU to end their
four-month old strike after a protracted meeting with President Goodluck
Jonathan by the national leaders of the union in Aso Rock, Abuja few days back.
Eye
witness accounts have it that Festus Iyayi was in the bus with few other
leaders of the union, when the incident occurred, and that while others
sustained serious and minor injuries, Iyayi was badly hit and he gave up the
ghost afterwards. Iyayi was part of the ASUU delegation that met with the
Federal Government team headed by President Goodluck Jonathan in Abuja
penultimate Monday.
Not a
few people are angry that Governor Idris Wada’s convoy has been too reckless
with driving, when they ought to set the pace for others on the highway.
According
to them, the two past incidents, where lives were lost should have served as
lessons for the Governor and his convoy. They stated that Wada should be made
to face the music and that driver of the vehicle that hit the bus in which
Iyayi was travelling should be prosecuted for reckless driving.
One
other twist to the whole matter last week as some people insinuated that the
whole thing bothers on ritual, and that the Governor must explain why his own
is different amongst other Governors if he has no ulterior motive.
Leaders
of ASUU, including the National President, Dr. Biodun Ogunyemi; the Ibadan
Zonal Leader Co-ordinator, Dr. Nasir chased Governor Idris Wada out of the
Emergency Ward of Lokoja General Hospital, where he had gone to see some of the
wounded occupants of the vehicle, who were on admission.
The
feeling that Kogi Governor’s convoy is allegedly reckless was palpable Thursday
last week, when the Federal Road Safety Corps Marshal and Chief Executive
Officer, Osita Chidoka, fielded questions from journalists during this year's Africa
Road Safety Day/ World Day for Remembrance of Road Traffic Crash Victims.
Chidoka
disclosed that the convoy of Kogi State Governor, Idris Wada, had crashed three
times within three months.
Chidoka
also said the Kogi State Government had not sent its convoy drivers for a
special training which the FRSC designed to certify drivers for convoy driving.
He said
FRSC team was still collating the facts to understand the actual cause of the accident
that took the life of the erudite professor. The Corps Marshal added that it was
still too early to determine the cause of the accident, adding that investigation
by FRSC was on-going and would be made public when completed.
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