The morning after my wedding was supposed to be one of the happiest days of my life. Instead, it became a day I will never forget.
On Sunday, May 3, 2026, I woke up exhausted but grateful after the celebrations of the previous day. My phone battery was at just 2 percent, and I picked it up intending only to switch it off. Newly married and still basking in the joy of the occasion, I had no plans to check messages or answer calls.
But something made me look.
I saw eight missed calls from my father and brother. Then I opened a lengthy WhatsApp message. My heart sank immediately. My mother had been involved in a serious road accident and was lying in the emergency unit of Limi Hospital.
In an instant, the joy of the previous day disappeared.
The accident occurred around 6 a.m. at Wuye Junction in Abuja as my parents were travelling to Ilorin. The roads were largely empty, and the city was only beginning to wake up. As they approached an intersection, a speeding Toyota RAV4 crashed into their vehicle with tremendous force.
The impact was devastating.
The driver lost control immediately, and the vehicle spun violently across the road. My mother, who was seated in the back seat, suffered the worst of the collision. The windows shattered on impact, sending pieces of glass into her head. She lost consciousness.
As I tried to process the news, speaking with doctors and family members while battling panic and uncertainty, one thought kept returning to my mind: this accident felt entirely preventable.
Ironically, the crash did not happen because of poor roads. It happened because Abuja's roads are exceptionally good.
When Good Roads Encourage Dangerous Driving
Abuja was conceived as Nigeria's modern capital — organised, spacious and efficient. Following the relocation of the nation's capital from Lagos in 1991, the city was designed with wide expressways, multiple lanes, smooth interchanges and long stretches of uninterrupted roads.
Unlike many parts of Lagos, where traffic congestion naturally forces motorists to slow down, Abuja's road network often allows drivers to travel at high speeds with little resistance.
For many visitors, driving through Abuja feels like entering a different world. The roads are cleaner, traffic moves more smoothly, and there is a sense of order rarely found elsewhere in the country.
But with that convenience comes a hidden danger.
Smooth roads can create a false sense of security. Drivers become more confident, overtake more aggressively and push their vehicles harder because the road appears forgiving. The problem is that speed reduces reaction time, and when something unexpected happens, control can disappear in a split second.
That is why many accident reports in Abuja often share similar characteristics: open roads, excessive speed, loss of control and tragic consequences.
The Federal Road Safety Corps (FRSC) has consistently identified speeding as one of the leading causes of road crashes in the Federal Capital Territory and across Nigeria. While statistics provide important insights, they do not capture the human cost behind every accident.
The real stories are found in emergency wards, damaged vehicles abandoned along highways, and families whose lives are permanently divided into "before" and "after" a single moment.
The Need for Stronger Safety Measures
There is no doubt that Abuja boasts some of the best road infrastructure in Nigeria. The city benefits immensely from efficient transportation networks that save time and reduce congestion.
However, good infrastructure must also be accompanied by effective safety measures.
The government and relevant agencies should strengthen traffic management systems across the city. Speed limits must be enforced consistently, not occasionally. High-risk intersections and accident-prone junctions should be redesigned with safety as a primary consideration. Speed-calming measures should be introduced where necessary, especially in areas with a history of crashes.
Equally important is driver education. Road users need continuous reminders that smooth roads are not invitations to drive recklessly. Responsible driving habits save lives.
A road does not become dangerous on its own. It becomes dangerous when drivers forget the responsibility they carry for their own lives and the lives of others.
A Reminder I Carry Every Day
My mother survived that accident.
For that, I remain deeply grateful.
Yet I often think about how close we came to experiencing an unimaginable loss. One phone notification transformed what should have been a season of celebration into a moment of fear and uncertainty.
Today, whenever I drive through Wuye Junction, I find myself reflecting on how many lives could be saved if we all slowed down just a little.
Abuja's roads are among the best in the country. But perhaps the true measure of a great road is not how fast it allows us to travel, but how safely it gets us home.