Ahmad Salkida
11 November 2009
analysis
Abuja — Car racing is the latest sport in Abuja, and the children of the very rich are behind it, cordoning part of a road to display their skills. The FRSC recently stepped into the matter and charged a few youths to court.
"Car racing is a popular sport all over the world. So why arrest our friends over it. When bikers recently celebrated their ability to do stunts with their bikes at the Eagle Square in Abuja, nobody raised any alarm. But when it was our turn to train ahead of an event, the police arrested some of our friends" These are the words of Alfa (real name), a son of a popular Abuja based multi-millionaire (names withheld).
According to Alfa he loves car racing and he doesn't think any body or agency can stop them from this sport. Every Sunday evening, Alfa and his friends choose a quiet spot at the central business district in Abuja that has little or no traffic on that given day, to display their driving skills, he implied.
"But I think our problem started when more people became thrilled and joined the exercise. Then some of us began to gamble, and the best way to do extraordinary things with your car in order not to lose a bet, is to either take alcohol or drugs," Alfa who is 21 explained. But he however exonerated himself from ever being under the influence of drugs.
"I started driving when I was 14, and now I am 21. I don't need to take drugs to do anything on the wheels, only amateurs do that," Alfa who displayed a student Identity card of a University in Malaysia said. "In several countries that I have been to, there are reserved areas for such sports" and he wonders why Nigerian authorities frown at such lawful exercise, he implied.
Federal Road Safety Commission (FRSC) prosecutor Abuh Okpanachi told a Magistrate Court in Abuja last week that Ikechukwu Linus, Adam Olokwu, Arna Akari, Samuel Nitte, Chinwoke Nwokocha, Ogechi and his brother Samuel Nwachukwu, were all arrested by the FRSC on Sunday 1st of November for reckless driving under the influence of alcohol ,and the fact that they had constituted themselves into public nuisance.
"The accused persons that are in their early and late teens, were arrested between the Ecumenical centre and the National Mosque road, indulging in motor racing" said the prosecutor. All of the accused pleaded not guilty to the offence, which "are punishable under section 28 (1) and 30 (1) of the Road Traffic Act and 183 of the Road Traffic Act, if they are found guilty."
There was drama when the charges were read to the 7 accused people. The Magistrate Emmanuel Iyanna was said to have walked out of the courtroom when the accused laughed in court over the charges. This infuriated the Magistrate, but the case resumed after the defence lawyer pleaded on behalf of his clients, and they later secured bail.
Investigations by Daily Trust revealed that the car racers are children of rich and famous individuals in the society, who have made it a habit to race with BMW, Toyota Camry and other posh cars. On one of such events, the racing competition was said to have gone awry as the vehicles involved in the racing game were said to have had a head on collision with each other, injuring some of the on lookers in the process.
It was also gathered that when the racers were accosted by officials of the FRSC, the youths were said to have threatened to pull the strings and have the officials sacked, the FRSC officials alleged. But in a swift reaction, the Abuja sector commander of the FRSC, Nsebong Akpabio condemned the racing exercise, and described it as "lawless and barbaric."
According to him, no individual or groups are above the law. "The activities of these youths are clearly illegal and inimical to public safety," he said. The FRSC have therefore impounded the vehicles and charged the youths to court. The commission therefore warned other lovers of car racing in Abuja to desist from such acts.
According to Dr. Lynn E. Ponton, a mental-health professional in the United States of America , "it is normal for teens to take risks." He went further to explain that it's normal and perhaps even healthy for youths to want to become independent, to try new things, to be in new and interesting situations. It's part of growing up. But many youths take risk taking beyond all reasonable limits, especially when they are far away from their parents' scrutiny, said one account.
The recent accident in Kano involving a group of under-age youths went beyond all reasonable limits, and FRSC officials claim it is a reflection of a general problem in the entire country on a daily basis. The thirteen teenage students between the ages of 15 and 19 used their cars to catch excitement and thrills, and unfortunately they were burnt to death when their two speeding cars collided, and rammed into a pedestrian bridge at Gyadi-Gyadi, on the Zaria Road in Kano metropolis.
Only one of the occupants of the cars was said to have survived the crash with first degree burns ,when the two vehicles burst into flames. Not long ago a 15 year old boy lost control of the car he was driving, and crashed into two vehicles on the opposite lane of the Mabushi Expressway in Abuja. He too, according to eyewitnesses, was driving at top speed. Although he was apparently unhurt before running away from the scene, but his victims were hurt.
Lately, road accidents have increased astronomically in Nigeria, especially in the urban areas. According to the FRSC, about 16,478 people were killed in Nigeria between 2006 and 2008. This translates to an average of fifteen persons killed on the road each day. Many critics say, these figures understate the reality.
These statistics only showed fatalities and did not account for the rates of disability or injuries as a result of such accidents. Road safety experts estimate that "for every death, there may be one or more serious injuries." Unfortunately, when contacted the FRSC could not give statistics of how many of these accidents are caused by under-age drivers, and how many under-aged persons have become victims of accidents.
The FRSC, the Department of Road Traffic Services and the Police must be more proactive in applying the full weight of the law on offenders no matter their positions in the society. The issuance of driving licenses must be done under strict regulations so is its enforcement, several residents in the FCT that spoke to this reporter advised.
According to these residents, car racing is not wrong, but it must be done on roads reserved for this purpose and not on our public roads which would endanger other innocent road users. "I don't think anybody has the right to indulge in car racing on public roads,just because he or she likes the sport and because they are rich. Let them go and tell their rich parents to construct special roads in reserved areas for them" said Danladi Abacha, a businessman in Maitama.
Be the first to Write a Comment!
Copyright © 2009 Daily Trust. All rights reserved. Distributed by AllAfrica Global Media (allAfrica.com). To contact the copyright holder directly for corrections — or for permission to republish or make other authorized use of this material, click here.
AllAfrica aggregates and indexes content from over 125 African news organizations, plus more than 200 other sources, who are responsible for their own reporting and views. Articles and commentaries that identify allAfrica.com as the publisher are produced or commissioned by AllAfrica.
