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Checkout How Gov Yahaya Bello Spent Hours Clearing Traffic On Lokoja-Abuja Road (PHOTOS)
Kogi State Governor, Yahaya Bello was on Sunday evening controlling the traffic on Lokoja-Abuja road. The gridlock held commuters on standstill for two days running. The governor joined officers of the Federal Road Safety Corps (FRSC) and other security agencies in controlling traffic.
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Governor Bello arrived Jamata area of the state with his security men and some aides. He spent over five hours directing the flow of traffic that has kept travellers at one point since Friday night.
It was gathered that the governor arrived the scene at about 06.30 pm in the evening. He then called other security heads in the state to deploy more personnel to join his security in controlling the traffic.
Speaking to newsmen, Governor Bello said his action followed the brief he got on the traffic situation along Lokoja-Abuja road. With the most affected being between Kpata in Lokoja down to Koto, Kogi/Kotonkarfe local government area.
The governor stated that he decided to visit the scene after another briefing on Sunday. From the briefing, he learnt that travellers were still stranded on the road. ”I was properly briefed about the hardship the commuters have been going through this road. And this has been going on for the in the last two days. Also, I was told few officers of the FRSC were seen in controlling the traffic. I also learnt that no vehicle could even move an inch.
“I have been here since 06:45 pm and this is 10: 25 pm. Some of the officials of the FRSC and other relevant agencies have been here with me. The good thing is that vehicles are now moving. Hopefully, if the commuters can sustain and maintain this orderliness we have established the gridlock will disappear. Because disorderliness, impatient are the major causes of this gridlock”, he said.
The governor, however, criticised slow response to emergency road situation by the officers of the Federal Road Safety Corps (FRSC). He noted that there was an accident involving two articulated vehicles on a single lane on the bridge while maintenance work was going on the second lane.
He blamed the FRSC for not responding quickly in evacuating the lorries considering the usual heavy daily traffic on the road. ”I understand that one of the lanes of the bridge has been under maintenance and travellers from Lokoja/Abuja were made to use only one lane; unfortunately, two articulated vehicles collided on the single lane resulting in this gridlock”, he said.
The governor was seen commending commuters and drivers for their patience while urging that relevant agencies should deploy more personnel to ensure quick clearance of the road. Some passengers who spoke on the development said they were held up by the gridlock for several hours.
They commended the governor for his presence at the scene, noting that without his intervention, no vehicle would have been able to move.
At about 10. 45 pm, officers of the Nigerian Army, Navy, Civil Defence and vigilante joined the governor and his security personnel in controlling the chaotic traffic. Lokoja-Abuja road is one of the busiest roads in Nigeria as it connects the North to the South.
