Agony as Abuja-Lokoja road gridlock worsens

Since the second lane of the Abuja-Gwagwalada-Lokoja highway was merged into one lane over six weeks ago to pave way for the construction of one kilometre portion of the road, motorists, commuters and hospital patients have groaned in pains as traffic gridlock on the road appears to be worsening daily. The construction of the road, […]

Since the second lane of the Abuja-Gwagwalada-Lokoja highway was merged into one lane over six weeks ago to pave way for the construction of one kilometre portion of the road, motorists, commuters and hospital patients have groaned in pains as traffic gridlock on the road appears to be worsening daily.

The construction of the road, which starts from the popular SDP Junction and terminates at Sidi -Ali Plaza is being undertaken by Dantata & Sawoe.

The gridlock has become a nightmare for workers who reside in Gwagwalada town, Kwali and Abaji and who go to work every morning in the city centre.

Daily Trust also learnt that traders who reside in satellite towns of Kwali and Abaji and normally travel to Zuba, Suleja or Madalla in Niger State to buy fruits and other goods usually spend several hours in the gridlock.

It was also learnt that patients on referral from various hospitals to the University of Abuja Teaching hospital in Gwagwalada pass through serious challenges before they get to the hospital because of the gridlock.

Some commuters who spoke with our reporter said they spend between three and four hours under the scorching sun.

They also attributed the worsening gridlock situation to the slow pace of work being carried out by the construction firm, even as they also blamed some impatient drivers for the gridlock.

A motorist, Ismail Musa, said he was held up in the gridlock for over two hours conveying passengers from Lokoja to Zuba.

“In fact, I had to ask my passengers to disembark and look for another vehicle to continue with their journey,” he said

A patient’s relative, Ishaya Bako, who resides in Kwali, said he almost lost his father after he was referred from a hospital to Gwagwalada because he was held up in the gridlock for several hours.

He said he was forced to turn back after he placed a call to a doctor who directed him to another private hospital in Kwali.

Another motorist, Adejumo Bankole, said hoodlums sometimes take advantage of the gridlock to dispossessed passengers of their phones inside the stationary vehicles, especially at night.

“Some hoodlums will just appear especially under the bridge by SDP junction and snatch passengers’ phone while in the traffic jam and before you raise an alarm, they have disappeared,” he said.

A civil servant, who works at the federal secretariat Abuja, Abdullahi Ibrahim, and resides in Bako village in Kwali, said he usually leaves his house around 5am in order to avoid the gridlock in Gwagwalada.

He said the gridlock, which is worsening every day, has been causing serious pains not only to travellers but civil servants who work in the city and reside in the satellite towns.

A trader, who sells provisions and drinks by the road side in Gwagwalada, Ibrahim Adamu, however, said the gridlock always worsens as a result of some impatient drivers who usually beat the traffic and manoeuvre their way to continue with their journey.

“Sometimes, it is some good Samaritans that usually come to the highway to control the traffic especially at night. Even at that, some of these long journey drivers who travel at night make the whole thing worse,” he said.

The FCT sector commander of the Federal Road Safety Corps (FRSC), Ayuba Wobin Gora, said since the part of the road has been diverted, his men are always on ground with other security agents to ensure free flow of traffic along the axis.

“But the only thing we also observed is that some impatient drivers, especially at night, always attempt to beat the traffic and in the process, oncoming vehicles from Lokoja axis find it difficult to pass,” he said.

He said the FRSC was working with the management of the construction firm to ensure that the work is completed on time so that motorists and travelers can heave a sigh of relief.