Senator Natasha Akpoti-Uduaghan (PDP, Kogi Central) has commiserated with world boxing champion, Anthony Joshua, over a tragic road accident in Nigeria that claimed the lives of two of his close friends.
In a condolence message issued on Tuesday, the senator described the incident as painful and unacceptable, lamenting the recurring loss of lives on Nigerian highways due to poor safety enforcement and weak emergency response systems.
“My heart goes out to Anthony Joshua at this very painful time,” she said. “Losing two close friends in such a tragic manner is devastating. I pray that God grants him strength and comfort, and that the souls of the departed rest in perfect peace.”
Beyond expressing sympathy, Akpoti-Uduaghan said the tragedy once again exposed the dangerous condition of the nation’s highways, which she described as “corridors of sorrow” where preventable accidents continue to claim innocent lives.
She stressed that road safety in Nigeria must no longer be treated as optional, noting that the persistent carnage on major highways amounts to a national emergency requiring urgent and decisive action.
The senator called on the Federal Road Safety Corps (FRSC) to intensify enforcement of existing safety regulations, adding that weak compliance and lax monitoring have continued to fuel fatal crashes across the country.
“Rules without enforcement are meaningless,” the Senator said, urging authorities to ensure that traffic and safety laws are applied strictly and without compromise.
Akpoti-Uduaghan also appealed to the Federal Government to provide well-equipped vehicle rest-in stations and lay-bys along major highways to reduce fatigue-related accidents, especially among long-distance drivers.
“No driver should be forced to drive endlessly without a safe place to rest,” she said, adding that deliberate investment in rest stations would significantly reduce exhaustion-induced crashes.
In addition, the lawmaker advocated the establishment of a dedicated Highway Emergency Rescue Team, equipped with ambulances, trauma care units and trained rapid-response personnel to attend to accident victims promptly.
“Many lives are lost not only because accidents occur, but because help does not arrive on time,” she said. “Nigeria urgently needs a functional highway emergency rescue system that can respond within minutes, not hours.”
The Senator urged policymakers to treat road safety as a matter of national priority, insisting that meaningful reforms would save thousands of lives every year.
“This tragedy should not be another headline we forget tomorrow,” Akpoti-Uduaghan said. “It must serve as a turning point for serious highway safety reforms in Nigeria.”
She reaffirmed her commitment to pursuing legislative and policy measures aimed at protecting lives on Nigerian roads, while again extending her condolences to Anthony Joshua and the bereaved families.
