Date Published: 03/26/10

WANTED: CODE OF CONDUCT FOR GOVERNORS CONVOY AND OTHERS By Joe Igbokwe

I have just read in the front page of The PUNCH Newspaper of Thursday 25 2010 that Governor Liyel Imoke of Cross River State has been flown abroad for medical treatment as result of injuries sustained in an accident on their way to Obudu Cattle Ranch in the State. I felt deeply concerned and worried when I read the story because the involvement of Governors convoys and that of other senior Officers in the country has become a reoccurring decimal since 1999. I felt disturbed simply because it is almost becoming an every week or every month affair and people are being maimed or killed. The stories are reported and after that nobody hears anything again. And the business goes on as usual.

The latest incident involving Governor Liyel Imoke of Cross River State should compel critical minds in Nigeria to begin to look for the way forward. I am told that societies, all through human civilizations do not bemoan problems, they work through them to arrive at immutable solutions.

Shortly after Governor Oshiomhole of Edo State was sworn in, his convoy had an accident and people were killed. Governor Gbenga Daniel of Ogun State convoy was involved in an accident few months back and there were victims. In 2004 or thereabout ‘Governor’ Chris Ngige’s convoy had its own baptism of fire and people were killed. Governor Ohakim of Imo State had a brush with a lady and her son in Lagos and we all know that dusts were raised as a result of the incident. The Speaker of the House of Representatives, Hon Dimeji Bankole convoy had a taste of it while on their way to the late Gani Fawehinmi burial last year and there were victims also. Former Governor of Jigawa State Senator Saminu Turaki suffered the same fate along Abuja-Kebbi road on 12 th April 2009. Governor Oyinlola’s  convoy  had a crash on 18 th December 2009 at Gbongan road Oshogbo. Governor Uduaghan of Delta State convoy was not spared in this dangerous show of shame. Even the Governor of Kogi State and Governor Saraki of Kwara State were not spared. The list has been growing and I think time has come for us to be a little creative in this matter and begin to address the problem. Most of the Governors use four-wheel-drive vehicles more especially Toyota Prado and other brands and these are not speed vehicles. For Toyota Prado, once you get to 120km per hour, you get a warning. Unfortunately, our drivers do not pay attention to the warning.

Now, if I may ask: what kind of people do we have as operators in the Governors convoy? What is the level of their training? What are their qualifications? How disciplined are they? Is there any speed limit in the curriculum? Is there any code of conduct? Is there any Operational manual? How often do we train the drivers? Have we been taking mental note of these endless incidents? Have we been keeping records of the victims, the costs, and the pains? These drivers and security details follow Governors to functions and things are provided for them in large quantities especially at burial or wedding ceremonies and they eat and drink themselves to stupor. When they hit the road your guess is as good as mine.

As we ponder over these questions, I want to suggest that we quickly set up a code of conduct for the Governors convoy in Nigeria. We have wasted too much time in doing this and our people are dying. Governors’ convoy speed should put at 100km per hour on good road because of the type of vehicles they use and the mind set of their drivers. Inside towns, the Governors convoy must be made to reduce considerably their speed to conform with the existing traffic situation. We can no longer ignore the incessant tragedies associated with our Governors convoy. The number of deaths are rising, the pains are becoming too much, the costs have become enormous. This madness must stop now. Let us give the drivers a code of conduct.

Joe Igbokwe

Lagos