Lagos State Governor, Mr Babajide Babajide Sanwo-Olu and the Minister of Transportation, on Monday 14th of September, 2020 visited the scene of the fatal accident involving a commuter train and two vehicles along the Oshodi area of the state.
Two persons reportedly died in the accident which occurred along the driveway into the Nigerian Army Shopping Arena in Oshodi on Monday morning.
Mr. Rotimi Amaechi, was with the governor during the on-the-spot assessment of the scene.
The victims, a father and son, were said to be driving into the shopping arena when they were caught up by the speeding train. Their Highlander Jeep got stuck on the rail track.
All six persons in the other vehicle – a passenger bus – escaped with different degrees of injuries after the train dragged the commercial bus to about 800 meters away from the point of collision.
Sanwo-Olu sympathised with the families of the victims and described the accident as regrettable.
He said the accident occurred on the day the state government and the Federal Government reached an agreement to close down the shopping complex’s gates at the railway line because of safety concerns.
He said: “This incident is regrettable because it happened on the day all stakeholders reached a consensus to close down the gates into the shopping arena.
“This is part of the concerns we have been raising about commuters’ safety on this axis. We need to act fast.
“This fatal accident should strengthen our resolve to do the needful and prevent a repeat of the sad incident in the future.
”It is also a clarion call on our people to be safety conscious whenever they need to drive across the rail track.
“If there is slow movement of vehicles at any railway bypass, then there is a need to keep a safe distance from the rail tracks.”
He also said the government had been rolling out advocacy on the matter and would intensify efforts on it.
Sanwo-Olu added that “Safety of the people is paramount and we will do all that is required to ensure we put a stop to this kind of accident.”
