By Ademola Ade
Construction contractors, broken-down articulated trucks and non-compliance by VIPs have been identified as major contributors to the persistent gridlock on the Lokoja-Abuja highway.
The Federal Road Safety Corps, FRSC, and Kogi State Government made the submission on Wednesday at a stakeholders’ meeting convened to address recurring traffic congestion and road safety challenges along the strategic corridor.
Deputy Corridor Commander of the FRSC, Abraham Daniel, who presented a Federal Highway Situation Report at the meeting, blamed some construction companies handling federal highway projects for failing to adequately consider motorists while carrying out road works.
According to him, contractors sometimes close long stretches of highways without providing alternative passages for motorists, resulting in prolonged traffic congestion.
“People always talk about the construction companies but what was discovered is that the construction companies do not sometimes put into cognizance the motoring public when they are doing their construction,” Daniel said.
The FRSC commander also appealed to VIPs to cooperate with traffic officers and exercise patience while travelling.
“If there is any senior officer present, I want to solicit that you please help us talk to the VIPs. They need to obey officers on the road, they need to understand the situation and we must all be patient while travelling,” he said.
Daniel identified human, mechanical and environmental factors as the three major causes of highway gridlock, urging motorists to plan their journeys ahead and transport unions to intensify driver education.
He said while mechanical failures could not always be predicted, poor driver education and impatience remained major contributors to traffic congestion.
On efforts to ease the situation, Daniel said the FRSC had engaged construction companies and succeeded in clearing the Banda axis of the highway.
“Presently, Banda is free. There’s no problem at that axis,” he said.
He, however, lamented that attempts to reach contractors working around the Amariya and Karara sections during the recent week-long gridlock were unsuccessful.
“We looked for the contractors at Karara to help us provide a good opening at the other side that they are not constructing but we were not able to see them,” Daniel said.
He explained that the degraded condition of the alternative section and potholes forced vehicles to move slowly, further worsening traffic flow.
The FRSC commander therefore called on contractors to rehabilitate and open portions of the highway not under active construction to ease movement.
He also appealed for greater collaboration among security agencies, stressing that road safety and traffic management should not be left to the FRSC alone.
“Road safety is not just an FRSC problem but everybody’s. We need the navy, army, correctional centre, immigration to assist us by deploying their officers so we can synergize to clear blockages,” he said.
Also speaking, Special Adviser to Governor Ahmed Ododo on Federal Project Implementation, Obasi Emmanuel, said the state government monitored ongoing federal road and infrastructure projects across Kogi, including contractors’ relationships with host communities and road users.
Emmanuel said almost all major traffic gridlocks in the state occurred on federal roads, particularly the strategic Abuja-Lokoja corridor linking travellers between northern and southern Nigeria.
He said finding a lasting solution to the corridor’s traffic challenges would significantly improve movement and the image of the state.
Emmanuel accused some federal road contractors of contributing to more than 30 per cent of gridlock on federal roads through non-compliance with directives on road closures.
He recalled that the Minister of Works, during a visit to Kogi in August, directed contractors not to close more than one to two kilometres of road within a construction corridor.
He, however, alleged that some contractors still closed stretches of up to 25 kilometres, including sections that had already been completed.
“Two weeks ago I was at a construction company and asked why they still closed about 15 kilometres of road already constructed. They said they have not been paid. The Minister gave one week directive, but one month after, the road was still not open,” he said.
Emmanuel said the situation should not be blamed on President Bola Tinubu or the Minister of Works, attributing some of the delays to outstanding payments to contractors.
“Contractors are generating certificates and they are not paid, how do you expect them to continue? Even when the President has approved funds, the authorities concerned refuse to pay or bring up so much protocol that makes payment last for months,” he said.
He also said the Federal Emergency Road Maintenance Agency, FERMA, had complained of inadequate funds to carry out comprehensive palliative works, while its mandate restricts it from intervening on roads already contracted out.
Emmanuel identified the breakdown of heavy-duty trucks as another major contributor to the gridlock, disclosing that more than 500 trucks were counted on the highway within two hours.
To address the problem, he said the state government had offered about 40 hectares of land to the Nigerian Shippers’ Council for the construction of a transit park where articulated vehicles could park, refuel, undergo maintenance and rest.
He said the facility would help reduce roadside parking and other activities that damage roads and obstruct traffic.
Officials of the Nigerian Shippers’ Council are expected in the state next Saturday to inspect the proposed site, he added.
Meanwhile, Special Adviser to Governor Ododo on Road Safety Matters, Dr Suberu Yusuf-John, said the state government would deploy mobile courts and other enforcement mechanisms on highways to tackle traffic violations, particularly during the Ember months.
Yusuf-John said the government would intensify traffic management measures to ensure free movement and prevent motorists and travellers from being stranded.
He expressed regret over the recent week-long gridlock on the Lokoja-Abuja road, saying the state government was coordinating stakeholders to prevent a recurrence during the festive period.
“I am very happy today that the compliance of the stakeholders is very high, which gives the impression that we are going to succeed in this plan,” he said.
He added that the government would regulate the movement of articulated vehicles along the highways.
“It is very important to have an enabling environment for business to thrive, but at the same time, an operator cannot be a regulator. Therefore, we are going to ensure that as the state government, we regulate the movement of articulated vehicles by telling them when to move and when not to move, for the safety of the people on the road,” Yusuf-John said.
The stakeholders’ meeting brought together relevant agencies and operators to develop coordinated measures aimed at improving traffic management, road safety and free movement along the Lokoja-Abuja corridor.
