The Gamaiyan Direbobin Nigeria (GDN), Taraba State chapter, has raised the alarm over the deplorable condition of the Bida-Lagos road, saying the situation was causing accidents, loss of lives and destruction of goods.
The chairman of the association and National Auditor of National Road Travellers and Motor Parks Association of Nigeria (NARTPAN), Ambassador Hamisu Gidadu Abba, said motorists were spending several days on the road because of gridlock occasioned by the deteriorating condition of the highway, particularly during the ongoing rainy season.
Comrade Abbah alleged that the Federal Government had asked the Dangote Group to rehabilitate the road, but expressed disappointment that work had not yet commenced.
According to him, vehicles travelling to Kano, Kaduna, Abuja and Taraba could spend as much as five days on the road due to traffic congestion and bad portions of the highway.
“We are in August, and it is the rainy season. People now endure long hours on the road because of traffic caused by the bad roads,” he said.
The NATO chairman appealed to President Bola Tinubu, Vice President Kashim Shettima and the National Assembly to urgently intervene in the condition of roads across the country.
He said drivers were not demanding much from government, stressing that good roads and the removal of multiple checkpoints where motorists were allegedly forced to make payments would significantly ease their burden.
Comrade Abbah also said the association was digitising its membership register and called for free education for drivers’ children as part of measures to improve the welfare of transport workers.
“We are behind the government of Mr President. Our prayer is that, by the grace of God, we will re-elect him,” he added.
