Any Lesson Learnt From Presidential Press Corps' Accident?
Vehicular accident can occur due to mechanical fault or
reckless driving. Whereas the latter is highly avoidable, the former is
mostly unforeseen!
Samuel Nuamah, a member of the Presidential Press Corps and a reporter with 'The Ghanaian Times' lost
his life when the vehicle on board which they were travelling was involved in a
fatal accident causing serious injuries to his other colleagues.
According to media reports, the bus they were traveling aboard was a hired one. As has become
the norm in Ghana, people are calling for investigations into the cause of the
accident.
The call for investigations into the cause of the accident
is a good one in that, it is going to ascertain those who were involved in
choosing that particular vehicle; the factors that were considered in choosing
the said vehicle which probably would span the rate (cost), road-worthiness -
mechanical issues like the tyres; and the experience of the driver amongst
others. The investigation probably would establish whether or not the said
vehicle was supposed to be part of the Presidential convoy on their return. I do not hope to see any significant action taken against those who may have been found to have not done enough due diligence for I know this doesn't happen in Ghana!
Having said that, I am not very conversant with the means of
transportation that other PPCs use around the world. But having seen Prez.
Obama visited Ghana, I am not sure those vehicles they used during the visit
were hired. I may be wrong though. But I think, just as those working at the Presidency are
using very good vehicles, whether acquired by the state or privately
owned, the state must provide the PPC with a much more safer vehicle for undertaking
such important assignments.
The state must shoulder this responsibility of providing a
safe vehicle for PPC. And equally important, they must always be part of the
Presidential convoy. Even if there are no known best practices around the world
in this regard, it won't be out of place to start one. We shouldn't be only interested in copying from others.
I hope lessons have been learnt by those at the helm of affairs. We don't want to lose another journalist.
Comments
Post a Comment