In every nation and civilized part of the world, there are different types of conventional road signs for safety obeyed by either traffic or pedestrians. Abiding strictly by these conventional signs does not only save lives but makes vehicles last longer because the whites who colonized African countries did not create any of these signs in a way that would cause damages to vehicles or claim lives of passengers or pedestrians.

With the recent invitation of the FCT minister to the Senate so that he might remove the all bumps or speed breakers from an acclaimed civilized city like Abuja, attention of the public is attracted and there has arisen the need to sample opinion of relevant bodies in the field.

Although many Nigerian drivers are averagely educated, they are skilful and of international reputation and can drive in any part of the world. They opened the discussion on erection of bumps in the FCT.

One John Ndache from Niger State with four years experience said bumps are irrelevant in the FCT because not all vehicles feel them. He said from his own experience, truck and jeep drivers do not feel the presence of bumps on the highway and can run over five of them at high speed while the ignorant pedestrian gets into trouble as he crosses road at the bumps with expectation that the driver of such vehicles would apply brakes.

"Small cars that approach the bumps with loads hardly feel the vibration because of the weight."

Akale Dan taxi driver in the FCT said speed breakers could make fuel guage mal-function because on a certain occasion he hit a bump and the fuel guage dropped and indicated that his tank was empty whereas he had just left a petrol station with his tank filled and he was sure the tank was not leaking.

At Mabushi, one John Aliyu disclosed that in his nine years driving experience, he had seen bumps placed at strategic places in Kano and they were not erected haphazardly in the city but placed at points where lives would be wasted without them.

Bumps are not meant to be scattered in a city, he continued. They should be restricted to environment where we have schools, markets, mosques and churches giving rise to heavy human traffic that need to be diverted from the pedestrian lane.

In the same way, one Fred Omego, a driver of private vehicle resident in Kubwa in the FCT, said the government should redesign zebra crossings at sensitive places in Abuja, all state capitals and major towns in the country because bumps make driving horrible and disgusting.

Bumps or speed breakers are not meant to be scattered in a city, he continued. They should be restricted to vicinities of schools, markets, mosques and churches where there is an integrated heavy influx of vehicle and human traffic that need to that need to divert from the pedestrian lane.

Simeon a driver said he does not slow down when approaching triple bumps because the lower your speed the more you feel the vibration of your vehicle and in his sixteen years as inter-state driver, whenever he approached the FCT at night, he ran over the bumps at Mabushi at a speed of not less than 140/kmph to reduce the vibration and crush any person with mischievous intention on the highway.

The inter-state driver maintained that on the way to Area 1 in Garki, the lower bumps along the road had no effect on his speed but gradually weaken vehicles.

Nigerians are not as daft as the bumps would portray us before the world. When the government fails in its responsibility to make traffic lights function effectively, are bumps the best alternatives? Simeon questioned.

During the interview, one Mrs James, a pregnant woman resident in Wuse, explained how she left Gwarimpa hospital to register at Wuse hospital. I started medication in the FCT at Gwarimpa hospital when the road was smooth and continued till I was pregnant expecting my fifth child, she said.

In my sixth month, I did not find motoring on that road funny and decided to change hospital because I perceived greater inconveniences ahead. When I was leaving the hospital, the authority said I was going against medical advice and I did it successfully with prayers.

In the same way, Mama Vivian resident of Area said her family moved into finally into Abuja last year when she was heavy with pregnancy. We always entered the FCT through Gwarimpa and I immediately experienced how the vehicles heaved me up and down on that road. I drew attention of my husband to the urgent need of a car and he bought CARINA 11.