Not many have forgotten the fatal accident which claimed the life of Anwulika Rita, a 200 level Philosophy student of the University of Benin (UNIBEN), which occurred on Sunday, July 19, 2015, at about 10am.
Rita, while trying to cross the ever busy Lagos-Benin expressway, just in front of the UNIBEN main gate, was knocked down by an army vehicle alongside a fellow student.
A similar accident occurred on March 31, 2019, where a promising student of the University of Benin was knocked down and killed by a reckless driver on the same Benin-Lagos expressway.
These incidents which took the lives of students, who were attempting to cross the ever busy Benin-Lagos expressway, are a few of the recorded incidents over the years, which have claimed the lives of students and other pedestrians trying to cross the expressway.
While speaking at the 42nd Convocation ceremony of the University of Benin in 2016, Governor Godwin Obaseki expressed concern over the spate of accidents involving the students of the University of Benin attempting to cross the busy highway either to or from the citadel of learning.
The Governor therein pledged to build a pedestrian overhead bridge to ensure the safety of students crossing the highway.
Today, Governor Godwin Obaseki has fulfilled that promise; a promise which has seen to the construction of a pedestrian bridge in front of the Ugbowo Campus of the University of Benin. The project, which was executed by Hartland Construction Company, was solely and fully funded by the Edo State Government.
A similar metal pedestrian bridge which was constructed in the early ’90’s just by the University of Benin Teaching Hospital (UBTH), was constructed about 500 meters away from the site of the current bridge.
The bridge was later dismantled due to lack of use and exposure to the elements which weakened its rigidity, prompting the public to further exercise restraint in using the bridge.
The case is however different today with the construction of a reinforced concrete pedestrian bridge for the use of students and other pedestrians.
However, due to the unwillingness of some persons to make use of the newly constructed bridge at the University of Benin, as a result of habit, the Edo State Government under the auspices of the Edo State Traffic Control and Management Agency (EDSTMA) held a sensitization campaign, charging students of the university and other pedestrians within the axis, to take advantage of the newly constructed bridge in the area, in order to mitigate road accidents.
The median strip or the centre line of the Benin-Lagos Expressway within the UNIBEN axis has been further demarcated with wire fence, thereby making the use of the pedestrian bridge not only compulsory but also the only available option if a student or pedestrian wishes to cross to either side of the road.
The State Government has taken these measures as a result of its commitment to the welfare of students and residents in the State. Today students and pedestrians within the Ugbowo axis can be certain of their safety as they make use of the bridge which is a legacy project of the Obaseki administration.
Governor Obaseki has continued to fulfill his promises and demonstrate unwavering commitment towards the welfare of students and residents in the State, culminating in infrastructural interventions that ensure safety and ease for students, residents and other road users alike.
By John Ewah
