From Cyriacus Nnaji, Lagos
School of Transport and Logistics of the Lagos State University (LASU) has won $50,000 Volvo Educational and Research Foundation grant.
Prof. Odewumi Samuel, head of the School of Transport and Logistics, LASU and leader of the winning team made the disclosure at a zoom meeting on Wednesday, January 11, 2023.
According to Samuel, the grant was approved for the Comparative Study of Water and Road Traffic Crashes in Selected Cities in Nigeria, Ghana and Kenya.
The erudite Professor averred that research proposal leading to the grant was submitted to Volvo Research & Educational Foundation (VREF) in June, 2022.
He also revealed that the research team, besides the LASU team, the other Co-Researchers include Prof (Engr) Kazeem Adebiyi of LAUTECH, Ogbomoso, currently the Rector of the Polytechnic Ibadan, Prof Abane Albert, Department of Geography and Regional Planning, University of Cape Coast Ghana, Prof Gituro Wainaina, Business and Management Sciences Department, University of Nairobi Kenya and Prof. Karen Lucas, School of Environment, Education and Development (SEED) at the University of Manchester. United Kingdom as the lead consultant.
Prof Samuel further revealed that the Research questions include “What are the numbers of accidents and casualties on the roads and waterways of the selected coastal cities? What are the causes and patterns of the accidents? What are the differences and similarities in the data among the cities and between the two modes; What are the differences and similarities in the safety regulatory framework in the three countries.”
He stated that the study examined the phenomena of travel accidents on the roads and waterways of three selected cities in West and East Africa, adding also that the study of road traffic crashes are extensive, but studies on accidents on waterways are rarer, adding that cities with water bodies have urban forms with peculiar safety and environmental challenges.
Speaking further Prof. Samuel stated that safety policies are usually well formulated and regularly communicated to enlighten citizens, but this, he said, is less so for water transportation, especially for the local artisanal boat and ferry operators mostly patronized by the urban poor.
Samuel also maintained that accidents are common, with many of them unreported. He said the perennial congestion in these cities creates a regular situation of crashes that is costing a lot in lives and property. “Added to this are the poorly maintained heavy trucks, trailers, boats and ferries adding to the chaotic situation. It is further noted that the economic cost of these accidents and injuries has been estimated at 1% of GNP in low income countries to which Africa belongs (FRSC, 2018, Tiwari et.al (2020).”
Speaking on the Methodology of the research he said “As an exploratory survey research, Primary data will be by interviews with relevant stakeholders and field observations to document some cases of real-life incidences and casualties over a three months period. The secondary will be from journals, books, newspapers on/offline and the appropriate authorities.”
Prof. Samuel stated that the outcome of the study is expected to contribute to the understanding of the mobility safety issues in cities with road and water transport system and contribute to policy guidelines on how to minimise the accidents.
The team said their appreciation goes to VREF “It should be mentioned that LASU School of Transport and Logistics has become a global Centre of Excellence for Transport Research and Education. It has received several streams of young scholars from Ghana and South Africa for mentoring sponsored by VREF. We therefore express our gratitude to VREF for continued support for research and educational development in Africa.
“The team was also profoundly grateful for the conducive environment provided by the able leadership of Prof Olatunji Ibiyemi-Bello, for research and the current pace of quantum development of LASU,” he said.
