Anthony Joshua, Breathalyzer Technology, and Nigeria's Situation
31 December 2025 By Abiodun Kareem Giwa
Anthony Joshua is alive because he still has some assignments he has not completed. The earlier information following the accident suggests it may affect his boxing career, but that was disproved after his discharge from the hospital. However, how the loss of his two besties would affect his career is unknown. Some reports say he has been rushed out of the country to save his life, another one says he was not rushed anywhere but was recuperating in Nigeria. News about the accident shortly after winning a bout in the United States shook the world, information about his friends' death on the spot was a worst shocker, and Nigeria was once more put on a negative reference.
Many people abroad wonder how quickly the winner of the bout in the United States had moved from the United States to Nigeria and involved in an accident as if there no more air travel and its speed. It was unbelievable at first, but pictures of the accident scene did not lie; they confirmed the information and defeat for those who questioned the accident information.
The story shows that Joshua and a two-car convoy travelled from either Abeokuta or Ibadan and were heading to Shagamu when one of the vehicles collided with a stationary truck on the roadside. The Nigerian Federal Road Safety Corps and police attributed the accident to excessive speed and dangerous overtaking. However, there is no information to indicate whether the driver underwent a breast layer test to ascertain the cause of the excessive speed.
In developed countries, police would have first administered a Breathalyzer test to determine whether the driver was driving under the influence. That is the first minus for Nigeria in terms of road safety technology. Additionally, people claim that the truck Joshua was in, which collided with another truck, did not contribute to the accident, and that the road was in good condition. There are no dangerous potholes. If there had not been an accident that involved a celebrity and claimed lives, this discussion would not have taken place. No one will know the country has not acquired the breathalyzer technology. No one would have known about the stationary truck that the boxer's car ran into in a desperate attempt for safety. Was it right to have allowed the truck to be stationed permanently on that spot? How long was the truck at the spot before the accident? Would the absence of the truck have made the accident worse or not? Could it be true that Joshua and his friends were in a celebratory mood?
Observers and pundits are not positioned to answer these questions, which can only be answered by Nigeria's police and the Road Safety Corps. Therefore, we cannot disregard their suspicion of excessive speed. An allegation of excessive speed can also be confirmed form the damaging impact on their vehicle. However, they are still required to inform the public about the cause of the over-speeding and why the truck remained in that spot, because the Joshua driver could probably have had enough space to move the car and bring the it to a stop or at worst hit the culvert to stop rather than collide with the truck, which forcibly squeezed the car and its occupants. As the case is, no one will be accountable for the accident, the death of the two, and if Joshua is impaired and cannot return to boxing that he loves, not even the driver, because there is no way of knowing if he was under the influence or not. Now the rule of law is circumscribed. It is the rule of law when there is an incident to ascertain the cause and hold the culprit accountable. It is a process. The police will arrive at the accident scene, test the driver for alcohol to know if he is under the influence or above the tolerable level. It is a crime to be under the influence and above the level.
Some people do not want to hear the statement that God saved Joshua. They asked whether God took his friends. It is a case of ardent believers in God's power against atheists and those who believe in their senses. Joshua and the driver are alive probably because the impact was less on the driver's side. Whatever, Joshua is fortunate to be alive, and his friends are unfortunate to be in another place; no one wants to be forced into the way the accident has caused them. Let us pray for Joshua as he goes through medical attention. And for God to comfort the family of his friends for their loss, and for Nigeria to quickly acquire the breathalyzer technology to address excessive speed on its roads to ensure safety. Nigeria does not need the negative press when money is not the problem, but how to use and account for it.
Lastly, the issue of epileptic electricity supply must engage all Nigerians now. No nation without a constant power supply should expect to prosper. The country possesses a sufficient number of qualified engineers, both at home and abroad, to address the issue. It's time for Nigeria abroad and home to stand up and address issues, not politics, which sets the country back.
Many people abroad wonder how quickly the winner of the bout in the United States had moved from the United States to Nigeria and involved in an accident as if there no more air travel and its speed. It was unbelievable at first, but pictures of the accident scene did not lie; they confirmed the information and defeat for those who questioned the accident information.
The story shows that Joshua and a two-car convoy travelled from either Abeokuta or Ibadan and were heading to Shagamu when one of the vehicles collided with a stationary truck on the roadside. The Nigerian Federal Road Safety Corps and police attributed the accident to excessive speed and dangerous overtaking. However, there is no information to indicate whether the driver underwent a breast layer test to ascertain the cause of the excessive speed.
In developed countries, police would have first administered a Breathalyzer test to determine whether the driver was driving under the influence. That is the first minus for Nigeria in terms of road safety technology. Additionally, people claim that the truck Joshua was in, which collided with another truck, did not contribute to the accident, and that the road was in good condition. There are no dangerous potholes. If there had not been an accident that involved a celebrity and claimed lives, this discussion would not have taken place. No one will know the country has not acquired the breathalyzer technology. No one would have known about the stationary truck that the boxer's car ran into in a desperate attempt for safety. Was it right to have allowed the truck to be stationed permanently on that spot? How long was the truck at the spot before the accident? Would the absence of the truck have made the accident worse or not? Could it be true that Joshua and his friends were in a celebratory mood?
Observers and pundits are not positioned to answer these questions, which can only be answered by Nigeria's police and the Road Safety Corps. Therefore, we cannot disregard their suspicion of excessive speed. An allegation of excessive speed can also be confirmed form the damaging impact on their vehicle. However, they are still required to inform the public about the cause of the over-speeding and why the truck remained in that spot, because the Joshua driver could probably have had enough space to move the car and bring the it to a stop or at worst hit the culvert to stop rather than collide with the truck, which forcibly squeezed the car and its occupants. As the case is, no one will be accountable for the accident, the death of the two, and if Joshua is impaired and cannot return to boxing that he loves, not even the driver, because there is no way of knowing if he was under the influence or not. Now the rule of law is circumscribed. It is the rule of law when there is an incident to ascertain the cause and hold the culprit accountable. It is a process. The police will arrive at the accident scene, test the driver for alcohol to know if he is under the influence or above the tolerable level. It is a crime to be under the influence and above the level.
Some people do not want to hear the statement that God saved Joshua. They asked whether God took his friends. It is a case of ardent believers in God's power against atheists and those who believe in their senses. Joshua and the driver are alive probably because the impact was less on the driver's side. Whatever, Joshua is fortunate to be alive, and his friends are unfortunate to be in another place; no one wants to be forced into the way the accident has caused them. Let us pray for Joshua as he goes through medical attention. And for God to comfort the family of his friends for their loss, and for Nigeria to quickly acquire the breathalyzer technology to address excessive speed on its roads to ensure safety. Nigeria does not need the negative press when money is not the problem, but how to use and account for it.
Lastly, the issue of epileptic electricity supply must engage all Nigerians now. No nation without a constant power supply should expect to prosper. The country possesses a sufficient number of qualified engineers, both at home and abroad, to address the issue. It's time for Nigeria abroad and home to stand up and address issues, not politics, which sets the country back.
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