The news about what happened at the Ikeja-Along bridge this week is enough to make anyone’s stomach churn. A dispatch rider named Daniel Akintelu skidded off that bridge and fell to the pavement below. His identity was obtained after sympathizers went through his documents.
However, if we go beyond the news and the unfortunate accident, we again see the systemic failure we live with daily in Lagos, and the scary truth is, the same thing could happen to any of us tonight, the Nigeria happening to you factor.
If you’ve ever driven through that spot at night, you will know the Ikeja-Along bridge is almost a dark zone. There is zero street lighting. You are basically driving on experience and car headlights. Daniel might not have just fallen; he was likely victimized by a city that builds bridges but forgets to light them. We pay taxes, but basic infrastructure such as power and lightning is years beyond reach.
But the tragic event didn’t stop at the fall. For hours, Daniel lay there with no medical attention. In a functional city, an ambulance would have been there in minutes. In Sanwo-Olu’s mega city, which he inherited from the Lagos that Tinubu built, Daniel was left on the ground.
The most heartbreaking part, though, was the crowd. Instead of people rushing him to a hospital, they just stood there with their phones out while saying “arghhhhh…arghhhhh”. Why? Maybe it’s the thirst for social media validation, being the person to record and first to post “the gist.”
But again, it could be due to pure fear. Oh yes, people are terrified that if they help, they’ll be held hostage by the hospital for bills they can’t afford, or worse, get tied up in a police “wahala” if the person doesn’t make it. Our system has literally trained us to be afraid of being Good Samaritans.
And why was Daniel on that bridge at that hour anyway? It’s the hustle. In this economy, the pressure to make ends meet is pushing everyone to the brink. Dispatch riders are under insane stress to hit targets, working about 14 hours a day just to keep their heads above water.
When you’re overworked, underpaid, and stressed to the bone, your judgment blurs. You take risks. You speed. You ignore the fatigue until the road catches up with you.
Daniel Akintelu isn’t just a name on a document; he’s a mirror. He represents every Nigerian pushing themselves too hard on broken roads, praying that if the worst happens, someone will care enough to put down their phone and help. We need to do better, both as a government and as neighbors, before Nigeria happens to the next person.
While writing on this piece, I found this resource from TrustTV about the challenges and struggles dispatch riders face in going about their duties.
