Reported by: Oahimire Omone Precious | Edited by: Oravbiere Osayomore Promise.
A serving member of Nigeria’s House of Representatives narrowly escaped death on Saturday when his convoy was involved in a multiple-vehicle crash along the busy Ore–Ondo Road in Ondo State. Honourable Donald Ojogo, who represents the Ilaje/Ese-Odo Federal Constituency, was travelling to Arogbo in Ese-Odo Local Government Area for a political engagement when the incident occurred. The crash, which involved three vehicles and 19 people, has once again thrust the perilous state of Nigeria’s highways into the national spotlight and raised urgent questions about the culture of reckless driving that continues to claim thousands of lives annually.
According to eyewitness accounts and official reports, the accident unfolded when a commercial bus attempting a dangerous overtaking manoeuvre collided with an oncoming vehicle, triggering a chain reaction that sent panic across the highway. The lawmaker’s two-vehicle convoy, which included a Toyota Land Cruiser Prado, was caught in the melee. The Federal Road Safety Corps (FRSC), which arrived at the scene promptly, confirmed that the crash was precipitated by wrongful overtaking and excessive speeding. Dr Samuel Ibitoye, the Ondo State Sector Commander of the FRSC, told the News Agency of Nigeria that preliminary investigations pointed squarely to driver recklessness as the primary cause.
The human toll of the crash was significant, though remarkably, no lives were lost. The FRSC confirmed that 19 people were involved in total, comprising 15 males and four females. Two female commuters sustained injuries and were rushed to a nearby hospital where they are currently receiving medical attention. The remaining 16 individuals, including Ojogo himself, escaped without physical harm. The lawmaker’s vehicle was reportedly seen veering off the road and plunging into a nearby bush, sustaining significant damage, while the commercial bus involved was parked by the roadside with its passengers evacuated.
For Ojogo, who recently secured his return to the National Assembly, the experience was harrowing. Speaking after the incident, the lawmaker expressed profound gratitude for what he described as divine intervention. “God took perfect control of the situation and prevented what could have turned into a tragic incident,” he said. In a separate account, he added, “I can’t even describe it. But all I know is that I thank God for surviving. This is a very serious incident. God has saved us. That is the only thing I can say for now”. While he did not immediately disclose the full circumstances of the crash in his initial remarks, he later blamed the commercial bus driver for reckless driving and impatience on the highway.
The Ore–Ondo Road, a critical artery connecting the South-West to the South-South regions of Nigeria, has earned a grim reputation as one of the country’s most dangerous highways. The route is notorious for heavy traffic, poor road conditions in some sections, and a high frequency of accidents often attributed to reckless driving by commercial bus operators. The FRSC has repeatedly warned motorists against speeding and dangerous overtaking, with Dr Ibitoye using Saturday’s incident to reinforce that message. “Speeding could be thrilling, but it also kills as well. People should avoid speeding while they are driving and also shun wrongful overtaking,” he cautioned. His words echo a familiar refrain from the corps, which has struggled for years to instil a culture of defensive driving among Nigerian motorists.
The incident has also generated significant concern among the lawmaker’s associates, supporters, and political stakeholders in Ondo State. Ojogo, a prominent figure in the All Progressives Congress (APC), has been a vocal advocate for his constituency, recently raising a motion in the House calling on the federal government to declare Ondo’s oil-producing communities a disaster zone due to sea incursion and ocean surges. He also previously served as Ondo State’s Commissioner for Information and Orientation under the late Governor Rotimi Akeredolu. His political journey has not been without turbulence; he is currently embroiled in a legal dispute over his emergence as the APC flagbearer for the Ilaje/Ese-Odo Federal Constituency. Saturday’s crash, however, transcended politics, reminding all of the fragility of life on Nigeria’s roads.
Road safety experts have long decried the country’s abysmal traffic accident record. According to the FRSC, Nigeria records thousands of road crashes annually, with human factors such as speeding, wrongful overtaking, and tyre bursts accounting for the vast majority. The Ore–Ondo corridor has been a particular hotspot. In 2023 alone, multiple fatal crashes were recorded along the Benin-Sagamu Expressway, which runs through Ore, claiming dozens of lives. Despite various campaigns and enforcement efforts, the pattern of recklessness persists, fuelled by a combination of poorly maintained vehicles, inadequate driver training, and a culture of impunity that often sees offenders escape meaningful sanction.
Saturday’s crash, while non-fatal, could have been catastrophic. The fact that 19 people walked away with only two injuries is nothing short of miraculous, a point not lost on the FRSC commander who confirmed the details. The injured victims, now receiving treatment, are expected to recover, though their conditions remain under close observation. The lawmaker has since continued to express gratitude for the safety of his team, even as the injured remain under medical care.
As Nigeria grapples with the broader implications of this close call, the incident serves as a stark reminder that the nation’s roads are a battlefield where life and death are decided in seconds. For Ojogo, the experience has clearly been transformative. His remarks reflect a man acutely aware of the thin line between survival and tragedy. For the FRSC, it is yet another data point in a long struggle to tame the menace of reckless driving. And for the millions of Nigerians who travel these roads daily, it is a sobering illustration of the risks they face every time they step into a vehicle.
The Ore–Ondo highway remains open, the wreckage cleared, and the debris swept aside. But the scars of Saturday’s crash will linger, not just on the vehicles involved, but in the memories of those who lived through it. As the injured recover and the lawmaker returns to his duties, one hopes that this narrow escape will galvanise renewed action to make Nigeria’s roads safer for all. The alternative, as Ojogo himself might attest, is simply too tragic to contemplate.
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