The House of Representatives has urged the Federal Ministry of Works to include the reconstruction of the Kabba to Egbe road in the 2026 budget.
This was sequel to the adoption of a motion by Leke Abejide (ADC-Kogi) at plenary in Abuja.
Moving the motion, Mr Abejide explained that the Kogi West senatorial district, with its headquarters in Kabba town, hosts two major cement factories: Dangote Cement and Mangal Cement.
According to him, Dangote Cement parades about 10,000 heavy-duty trucks, each weighing 45 tonnes, that ply the already dilapidated roads in the district.
He noted that the Obajana to Kabba road constructed under the Tax Credit Scheme awarded to Dangote Cement is already failing a few years after completion due to the immense pressure caused by heavy vehicular traffic.
The lawmaker said that Mangal Cement recently commenced operation between Iluagaba, Ijumu Local Government Area, and Mopa, Mopamuro LGA.
Mr Abejide said that the operations added approximately 20,000 heavy-duty trucks, each weighing about 45 tonnes, to the already deteriorated roads.
“These trucks contribute nothing towards the road maintenance in spite of the damage caused to the infrastructure and the environmental health hazards posed by their emissions, which people inhale daily.
“Worried that the deplorable state of the Kabba to Egbe road has become a safe haven for criminals, fuelling insecurity as bandits and armed herdsmen exploit it to ambush travellers, thereby crippling economic activities and increasing food insecurity, as farmers and traders can no longer safely access farmlands or markets.
“The standard road construction will not suffice unless it is specifically designed to carry a minimum load of 60,000 tonnes of trucks that converge on the Kabba to Egbe road daily, exerting immense pressure that conventional road construction cannot withstand, hence the need to reconstruct the said road,” he said.
The parliament recommended that the road be concessioned to a competent private company after reconstruction to generate revenue from articulated vehicles for maintenance.
It urged Dangote and Mangal companies to make their operating environments habitable for living and provide parking lots for their trailers, rather than parking on the roadsides, to prevent gridlock and accidents.
In his ruling, Speaker Abbas Tajudeen mandated the House committee on works to visit and inspect the affected road to ascertain the deplorable state and report within four weeks for further legislative action.
(NAN)
