Nigeria is witnessing a disturbing shift in public behaviour as accident scenes increasingly become content for social media rather than emergencies demanding urgent help.

A recent crash on New Year’s Day along the Araromi Seaside–Etikan Highway in Ilaje Local Government Area of Ondo State has again brought the issue into sharp focus.

Graphic videos from the scene, widely shared online, showed dismembered bodies scattered across the road.

Why it matters

Accident scenes are emergencies, not spectacles.

Filming victims instead of helping delays life-saving intervention and strips injured or deceased persons of dignity.

Mental health experts warn that repeated exposure to such graphic images can cause lasting psychological harm, especially to families who may encounter the footage online before receiving official notification.

The human cost behind the videos

Families are often forced to relive trauma each time similar visuals resurface.

One widely referenced example is a past road accident involving world boxing champion Anthony Joshua, in which two of his friends died while visiting Nigeria, with reports of body parts scattered at the scene.

Such images, once online, never truly disappear.

The internet preserves them indefinitely, compounding grief and reopening emotional wounds long after the incident.

Bystanders, not responders

Before emergency services arrive, many witnesses now reach for their phones instead of calling for help.

Road safety advocates say this “quick-to-record” culture slows rescue efforts, violates privacy, and often leads to families learning of deaths through social media posts.

Officials of the Federal Road Safety Corps (FRSC) have repeatedly urged Nigerians to prioritise emergency calls, crowd control, and first aid where safe, rather than filming scenes.

What authorities are saying

The National Orientation Agency (NOA) has long emphasised citizens’ duty of care, which includes empathy, responsibility, and timely action in moments of distress.

Public affairs analysts argue that discouraging the filming of accident scenes should now be a core focus of the agency’s nationwide sensitisation campaigns.

They point to the success of the NOA’s January 2025 campaign against fuel scooping from fallen tanker accidents, which helped save lives through sustained public education.

Industry and public reactions

Road safety professionals say Nigeria’s emergency response system already faces challenges, from delayed ambulance access to limited trauma care.

Adding crowds of onlookers filming accidents further complicates rescue operations and increases the risk of secondary crashes.

Many Nigerians online have also begun calling for stricter enforcement against the circulation of graphic content, arguing that empathy should outweigh social media engagement.

What’s next

Experts say change will require sustained public education, clearer enforcement of existing laws, and stronger collaboration between road safety agencies, security services, and community leaders.

Citizens are being urged to stop recording and start responding by calling the FRSC, ambulance services, nearby hospitals, and security agencies, and by offering safe assistance where possible.

The bigger picture

Nigeria’s roads already claim thousands of lives annually.

Turning tragedy into content only deepens the crisis.

As the country enters another year, advocates say the message must be clear: human dignity must come before views, likes, or shares.

Nigeria needs empathy not cameras.

In a deeply divided political climate, rare figures emerge who attract attention across ethnic, religious and regional lines.

Senator Solomon Olamilekan Adeola, popularly known as Yayi, is increasingly one of them.

This opinion piece examines why a lawmaker from Ogun West is being spoken of in national terms and what that means for Nigeria’s democracy.

An unlikely admirer

The author, Alhaji Babba, describes himself as a Northern, Hausa-Fulani Muslim, surprised by his own decision to write about a Southern senator.

He says his interest is not political loyalty, but personal observation.

Having worked for years in Ogun State as a federal civil servant, he says he witnessed many of Senator Adeola’s projects first-hand, despite never meeting him personally.

“Justice must be done to him, by telling the world his exceptional performance as a national legislator.”

Leadership beyond constituency lines

At the heart of this argument is the claim that Senator Adeola operates with a national outlook, rather than a narrow constituency focus.

The author describes him as humble, approachable and empathetic, traits he believes are increasingly rare in Nigerian politics.

He argues that Adeola blurs the traditional line between legislator and executive.

“It is difficult to tell whether he is a legislative or executive representative, because he comfortably performs both roles.”

That approach, the author suggests, has earned Adeola strong grassroots support.

‘I will never be apologetic’

Senator Adeola himself has addressed criticisms that lawmakers should not focus heavily on projects.

While commissioning developments, he stated:

“I will never be apologetic to anyone for continuing to execute development projects in my communities.”

For supporters, this reflects responsiveness.

For critics, it raises questions about Nigeria’s constituency project culture, a debate that continues nationally.

From Lagos Assembly to Senate power broker

Adeola’s political rise has been steady.

He served in the Lagos State House of Assembly from 2003 to 2011, before moving to the House of Representatives in 2011.

Despite being a first-time federal lawmaker, he became Chairman of the Public Accounts Committee, the House’s only constitutional committee, under Speaker Aminu Tambuwal.

In 2019, he was elected Senator for Lagos West.

In 2023, he made a rare political shift, contesting and winning in Ogun West, where he now represents the district in the 10th Senate.

He currently serves as Chairman of the Senate Committee on Appropriations, one of the most powerful positions in the National Assembly.

Legislative footprint

Between July 2023 and July 2024, Senator Adeola sponsored seven bills, including:

Nigerian Railway Corporation Act (Amendment) Bill

National Energy Bill

Federal University of Technology, Ilaro (Establishment) Bill

Agricultural Processing Zones (Establishment) Bill

National Institute for Border Studies, Imeko Bill

Supporters say these bills reflect a focus on infrastructure, education, energy and economic development.

Projects and visibility on the ground

In January 2025 alone, Senator Adeola commissioned 59 capital-intensive projects under his “Transformation in Progress” initiative.

They were distributed across Ado-Odo/Ota, Ipokia, Imeko-Afon, Yewa North and Yewa South.

Projects include:

ICT centres for secondary schools

New road networks

Classroom blocks

Town halls

Bridge reconstructions

Health facilities with solar mini-grids

Youth and women economic empowerment schemes

For residents, these projects are tangible.

For analysts, they raise broader questions about sustainability and federal-state responsibilities.

Fiscal credentials

Adeola’s supporters frequently point to his financial expertise.

He is credited with contributing to fiscal reforms in Lagos State, including laws that strengthened the Lagos State Internal Revenue Service, reportedly increasing monthly revenue from ₦5bn to over ₦20bn.

He also participated in the passage of the Fiscal Responsibility Act and Public Procurement Act at the state level.

As Appropriations Committee chair, his influence now shapes Nigeria’s national budget process.

What this says about Nigerian politics

This opinion is ultimately not just about one man.

It reflects public frustration with symbolic politics  and a growing demand for visible results.

Whether Senator Adeola’s model is sustainable or replicable remains open to debate.

But his growing cross-regional appeal highlights a shift: performance is beginning to matter as much as identity.

What’s next

As the 10th Senate continues its work, scrutiny of powerful committee chairs like Adeola will intensify.

Supporters expect more projects and policy influence.

Critics will watch for transparency, balance and long-term impact.

For now, Senator Solomon Adeola remains a lawmaker Nigerians are watching closely.

Pride they say goes before destruction. Pride is a difficult trait to recognise particularly by those who are proud! Many who are proud are living at the mercy of time for an inevitable destruction that must happen; this of course includes me! May mercy preserve me and you till the day our eyes would be opened to see the seeds of destruction in us, no matter how small and where they are harboured!

To rid oneself of pride is to accept the humble pie of humility. It is never an easy route but grace can make it easier for a Carmel to pass through the eye of the needle while rich ones proudly stroll in comfort and opulence to hell!

“Whom the gods would destroy they first make mad”, goes the saying. I am yet to see the manifestation of madness that is worse than pride! Like a mad man, the proud lives in the realm of puffy spiritual clout and status far above the understanding of those around them. Of course, they are deaf to words and immuned to counsel until what should happen happens! Who is more proud than the other between the duo, only time can reveal!

Politics has been generous to Wike since 1999 when he came on the stage as the Chairman of Obio/Akpor Local Government Area of Rivers State. He was re-elected into the same office in 2003 and completed his 2nd term in 2007!

A very well deserved appointment came his way, having stood with His Exellency Rotimi Amaechi during his political travails. Wike became the Chief of Staff to the Governor Chibuike Rotimi Amaechi, a position he held from 2007 to 2011. From here he was nominated by his Principal for the position of a Minister. Perhaps this was Amaechi’s greatest political mistake!

Wike was appointed the minister of State for Education in 2011, a position he held till 2014, though he later served as the substantive Minister in the same ministry. He returned to Rivers State to contest election into the office of the Executive Governor of the state on the platform of PDP, an election he won in 2015!

His working relationship with the Jonathans deepened while he served as the minister of education but when Amaechi decamped to APC and would bring the PDP house in Rivers State down, Wike knew when to re-define political loyalty and re-align political allegiance. The fallout between Amaechi and Jonathan was the opportunity which Wike grabbed with both hands!

The 2023 game rewarded him with the position of the Minister of Federal Capital Territory!

His Exellency Nyesome Wike is not just a political juggernaut; he is an icon in politics by all standards! His rise in the terrain of politics in Rivers State attests to this, from where he took the national landscape by storm!

The idol in him saw to the humiliation of PDP and the rise of APC in the last general election. If Obi’s exit from PDP saw to the death of PDP, the game of Wike buried the party for APC!

Prior to the election, the refusal of PDP to zone presidency to the South was the issue. On this, Wike had the support of some governors from the region and other regions; so when he failed to clinch the ticket, he upped his game, stayed in the party, held his alliance to governors and members of the party who were sympathetic to his course till the damage was done to Atiku Abubakar’s ambition!

Mr Project, had enough for foes, friends and fans to come to Rivers State to Commission! From President Obasanjo, Buhari, Oshiomhole, etc all made it to Rivers State to commission one project or the other. His approach to the 2023 game was loud but subtle. Hardly could anyone tell where Wike was ending. We thought his joker was Peter Obi, among the endless of dignitaries that honoured his invitation to commission a project in Rivers State while Wike held sway. Wike was so sublime that Peter Obi was grateful to him for inviting him to commission Nkpolu-Oroworukwo bridge in a community that was traditionally an Igbo, it was a good way to measure the influence of Peter Obi in the state. The crowd was an attestation to Obi’s growing political clout as Wike had issues controlling the crowd who were chanting Obi, Obi, Obi. A platform for strategic communication and Wike didn’t miss it, he referred to Obi as colleague of traders who came out in several thousands to welcome him. He reassured the crowd in the presence of Obi that he had no plan to dislodge the Igbo and that the bridge project was the reason he was misunderstood. He didn’t forget to tell Obi he was invited to witness his good work so that he can tell his party to forget about Rivers State Governorship election 2023, without making any commitment to Peter Obi who attended the occasion in company of his Vice Presidential Candidate, Dr Yusuf Datti. His bait to the Labour party crowd was effective when he sympathized with Obi on why he has to leave PDP, but he promised to stay back in PDP to see what he saw to! Afterwards, speculations of his support for Obi rent the air among the Obidients across the country. Wike’s leg on the ball right or left was not known until the election day!

When he dropped the ACE, Bola Ahmed Tinubu was his candidate! He worked for him within and outside the book to ensure victory in Rivers State!

Soon after the election, it was the turn of incoming President to come over to Rivers State to commission a project. Tinubu and Wike both threw the public into frenzy with Wike’s request and Tinubu’s refusal. Wike’s appointment put paid to public impression of a disagreement between the duo!

Wike was the best at the game, playing on the side of Amaechi to outsmart Peter Odili. His hard tackle ended not just the game for Celestine Omehia but his entire political career! Erazing his record and achievements Wike further targeted. Wike was not just a Governor, he could easily pass for Monarch with power and influence, marching what was witnessed under ancestral homeland empires! But Wike was a Governor whose terms and tenure were fixated by the constitution. After 8 years in office he must leave power. Our Wike left Office though without leaving Power and the complication of that has engulfed the state in crisis!

The silence and side taking of Abuja on the Rivers crisis is understandable. Those whose portraits are up in less than a year of coming to power for a four year term are already on the road for the 2027 race! Wike of course is not just a necessary evil in the Rivers game. He is a needed one for 2027 in Rivers State!

Goals setting is the way of mortals who should be in gratitude of grace for the day; mortals who are like petals that may not see tomorrow are often found of planning appointments for the day after tomorrow. Inevitably playing God. Wike did, with Sim Fubara, his anointed son in PDP for an election many believed was won by the Labour Party!

All institutions involved in the election were not just at the call and beckon of Wike, They were at his altar. All indeed of financial oxygen were breathing. Wike is generous to a fault and this worked well for him!

Wike was very powerful! There was no end to his influence in sight so soon. Or so we thought like mere mortals!

According to Daniel 4:17, But there is a God! I will choose the EasyEnglish version of the verse; “The angels who watch human people have said this. And this is what they have chosen. So now everyone will know that God rules in the kingdoms of men. He can give kingdoms to anyone that he wants to. And he can cause men who are not important to become kings.”

On whose side the God who rules in the Kingdom of men is; will determine in whose favour the swinging pendulum will hang at the end of the day.

Has Fubara been silent without any move? no! Though Wike has been loud but Fubara has been deft. The grasses in Rivers State have been the ones suffering in the fight of the Elephant and the its calf!

Structure control is at the heart of this battle while Wike’s legs are in and out. Out in APC and in, in PDP, leaving Fubara to grasp for political oxygen in hope of 2027! Fubara shows his master’s skills when he reached out to His Exellency Alex Chioma Otti to come over to commission a project in Rivers State. Two things stuck out for me in this move. First, is the performance of LP “without structures” in the last election and the results it produced! Second, is the super performance of the Action Governor that its not just Abians but Nigerians have seen in Otti’s handling of Abia State!

Fubara didn’t just stop at that, he went further. Obviously attempts at loosening Wike’s grip on the state are daily progressing.

A recent dramatic turn of events has shown Governor Fubara’s assertion of his authority over the state, dismantling Wike’s political stronghold in the process in Rivers State. In the Executive arm this has consumed commissioners and appointees who in the bid to prove their loyalty to Wike had resigned granting Fubara the opportunity to have them replaced by Fubara’s loyalists! This, for me is a flawed political move. Politics is local. If Wike had to remain in PDP to damage it from within. Remaining with Fubara would have meant danger from within. The exit for Fubara to fill is minus for the Wike side. Though Wike is in a position to fix them up, that would be in the FCT and the battle is local!

The Legislature is not spared. 25 House of Assembly members who defected are now “homeless politicians,” as someone put it. They are at the mercy of the Judiciary seeking its intervention!

The Judiciary to which homeless house of assembly members are looking have seen Wike’s ally in the system demoted, forcing resignation, paving the way for Fubara’s appointment of his loyalist. If Rivers State was a Yoruba state, I would have requested Fubara to invite King Wasiu Ayinde Marshall, KWAM1, to come and commission the foundation laying of the demolished House of Assembly, singing the song from one of his best sellers titled; CONSOLIDATION!

A stormy tide of power is blowing in Rivers State. Which will it uproot? The established Araba tree or the tender Igi Nla? only God who rules over the affairs of men can tell!

The antics and counter are permitted, propaganda is part of the game. Media war is welcome. After all said and done, the God who supervises the destruction of the proud is the same God who gives grace to the humble. “Eni Olorun ba gba fun in the game of power at the end of the day is the champion!

Dr. Bolaji O. Akinyemi is an Apostle and Nation Builder. He’s also President Voice of His Word Ministries and Convener Apostolic Round Table. BoT Chairman, Project Victory Call Initiative, AKA PVC Naija. He is a strategic Communicator and the C.E.O, Masterbuilder Communications.

Email:bolajiakinyemi66@gmail.com

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