Hit-and-run driver kills FUNAAB professor

Following the death of Oladipo Ademuyiwa, a professor of biochemical toxicology at the Federal University of Agriculture, Abeokuta (FUNAAB), by a hit-and-run driver on the recently restored Kemta-Somorin road on Sunday, residents of Ajebo Road Housing Estate, Kemta, Abeokuta, have been placed in mourning.

It was reported that Prof. Ademuyiwa, who was in his early sixties, had just gotten out of a taxi and was going to cross the street from Prof. Wole Soyinka's end when a careless motorist struck him and fled.

In a statement released on Tuesday, Dr. Ayo Ajasa, Chairman of the Ajebo Road Housing Estate Community Development Association (CDA), said that the state government could have prevented the tragic death of the university lecturer if it had heeded the community's repeated requests for speed breakers to be installed on the road.

Given his priceless contributions to knowledge sharing and dissemination in one of the nation's ivory towers, he regarded the professor's passing as a huge loss to the community and the nation at large.

"This tragic event that took place on Sunday, February 16, 2025, has once again highlighted the urgent need for government intervention to prevent further tragedies on this road," Ajasa stated.

It is depressing that no real steps have been done to install speed breakers and other essential safety measures on this road in spite of several requests to the Ogun State administration and other agencies.

"The government ignored our repeated requests to protect lives in Ajebo Road Housing Estate, but they installed speed bumps on the Ilugun end of the road without hesitation."

He clarified that in order to prevent needless deaths on the road, the state government should immediately erect truck barriers and speed breakers along the route, along with conspicuous traffic signs warning drivers against careless driving.

Ajasa further demanded that the estate's excessive speeding be stopped by more stringent law enforcement.

He added that "another accident occurred within 24 hours of this tragic incident, proving that this road remains a death trap." He said it was unacceptable that a community of law-abiding citizens should have to endure numerous accidents, near-fatal encounters, and now the loss of an esteemed professor because of government inaction.

In order to prevent more deaths, Ajasa stated, "We hold the government accountable and call on the Governor of Ogun State to intervene immediately."

"We also urge well-meaning Nigerians, civil society organisations, and the media to spread the word about our community's need for justice and safer roads."