FRSC blames contractors for persistent Lokoja-Abuja gridlock

The Federal Road Safety Corps (FRSC) has blamed the failure of construction companies handling federal highway projects to adequately provide for motorists during road works for persistent gridlock on the Lokoja-Abuja corridor.

The Deputy Corridor Commander of the FRSC, Abraham Daniel, made the observation at a stakeholders’ meeting organised by the Special Adviser to Kogi State Governor Ahmed Ododo on Road Safety Matters, Dr Suberu Yusuf-John.

Speaking while presenting a Federal Highway Situation Report, Daniel said some contractors often shut long stretches of highways without creating alternative routes for motorists, resulting in severe traffic congestion.

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“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,” he said.

The FRSC commander also appealed to senior government officials and other VIPs to cooperate with traffic officers and comply with instructions issued at congestion points.

“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 urged motorists to plan their journeys and advised transport unions to intensify driver education, noting that highway gridlocks were generally associated with human, mechanical and environmental factors.

He said while mechanical breakdowns could not always be predicted, poor driver education, impatience and indiscipline could worsen traffic situations.

On efforts to ease congestion, Daniel said the FRSC had engaged some construction companies, leading to the opening up of the Banda axis.

“Presently, Banda is free. There’s no problem at that axis,” he said.

He, however, said the Corps was unable to reach contractors working around the Amariya and Karara axes during the recent week-long gridlock on the Lokoja-Abuja highway.

“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. Because the road was degraded and because of potholes, vehicles move slowly and if they don’t move slowly they may fall,” he said.

Daniel urged contractors to urgently rehabilitate and open portions of the road not under active construction to improve traffic flow.

He also called for greater cooperation among security agencies during major traffic incidents, commending the military, Navy and police for their support in managing previous gridlocks.

“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, the Special Adviser to the governor on Federal Project Implementation, Obasi Emmanuel, said his office monitored ongoing federal road and infrastructure projects in the state, including contractors’ relationships with host communities and road users.

Emmanuel said most of the major traffic gridlocks recorded in Kogi occurred on federal roads, particularly the strategic Abuja-Lokoja corridor, which links travellers from the northern part of the country with the South.

“If we are able to design a proper solution that can tackle this axis, we would have solved the major traffic problems on the highways. This situation gives a very bad image to the state,” he said.

He alleged that contractors were responsible for more than 30 per cent of gridlocks on federal roads, accusing some of them of failing to comply with directives issued by the Minister of Works.

Emmanuel recalled that the minister, 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 continued to close stretches of up to 25 kilometres, including sections where construction work 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 responsibility for delayed payments should not be attributed to President Bola Tinubu or the Minister of Works, alleging instead that delays occurred at the Ministry of Finance and the Central Bank of Nigeria (CBN).

“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 added that the Federal Roads Maintenance Agency (FERMA) had also complained of inadequate funding for comprehensive palliative works and was restricted from intervening on roads already awarded to contractors.

Emmanuel identified the frequent breakdown of heavy-duty vehicles as another major contributor to traffic congestion, saying more than 500 trucks were counted on the highway within two hours.

He disclosed that the state government had offered about 40 hectares of land to the Nigerian Shippers’ Council for a proposed transit park where trucks could park, refuel, undergo maintenance, and allow drivers to rest.

According to him, the facility would help reduce the number of trucks parked on the highway and the damage and obstruction caused by stationary articulated vehicles.

He said officials of the Nigerian Shippers’ Council were expected in the state next Saturday to inspect the proposed site.

Earlier, the Special Adviser to Governor Ododo on Road Safety Matters, Dr Suberu Yusuf-John, said the state government would deploy mobile courts and other enforcement measures on highways during the Ember months to tackle traffic offences and prevent avoidable gridlocks.

Yusuf-John said the government would implement stricter traffic management measures to ensure free movement and prevent motorists and travellers from being stranded on the highways.

He expressed regret over the recent week-long gridlock on the Lokoja-Abuja road, assuring residents and travellers that the state government was coordinating traffic management efforts to ensure that “nobody sleeps on the road” during the festive period.

The special adviser said the stakeholders’ meeting was convened to bring together relevant agencies and operators, stressing that effective traffic control and road safety required collective responsibility.

“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.

Yusuf-John said the government recognised the need to provide an enabling environment for businesses but maintained that operators could not simultaneously serve as regulators.

“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,” he said.