By Chiemeka Ugwowo, Lokoja
Abujа-Lokoja expressway gridlock: motorists lament hours of hardship as maintenance work cripples movement
Travellers and motorists plying the Abuja-Lokoja Expressway were left stranded for over four hours today following a severe traffic gridlock caused by ongoing maintenance work along the Banda Police Barracks axis.
The construction company handling the project barricaded one lane of the expressway for minor repairs, forcing vehicles coming from both directions to converge at a single point. The situation quickly escalated as drivers struggled to give way, resulting in a complete standstill.
The intervention of personnel from the Nigeria Security and Civil Defence Corps, Nigerian Army, Nigeria Customs Service, Police, and Federal Road Safety Corps helped to gradually ease the congestion and restore movement.
The situation was worsened by the intense heat in Lokoja, with temperatures reaching about 38 degrees Celsius, leaving many passengers battling discomfort and the risk of suffocation inside vehicles trapped on the highway.
Some motorists expressed frustration, blaming authorities for failing to provide alternative routes before commencing the maintenance work.
A truck driver, Malam Abdullahi Musa, who was travelling from Lagos, said the delay at the affected spot lasted longer than the entire journey he had made from Lagos State.
He urged the government to pay closer attention to the concerns of road users, adding that repeated complaints about the condition of the route appeared to have been ignored.
Another traveller, Mr. Olu Ojoba, appealed to the Minister of Works, Chief Dave Umahi, to consider the plight of residents and commuters along the corridor, just as attention is being given to major projects such as the Lagos-Calabar Coastal Highway.
Motorists are calling for better planning and coordination to prevent a repeat of the situation, especially on major highways that serve as critical links between states.
