By Gbenga Odogun
The collapsed section of Ajaokuta/Lokoja Road has brought untold hardships on both residents and travellers alike, The PUNCH has learnt.
The road, which serves as a major link road with the Eastern parts of the country from the North, has almost been cut into two which may adversely affect vehicular and human traffic on the road for two years.
Our correspondent observed that the portion of the federal road very close to the village is so bad that a journey that normally takes less than 15 minutes now takes about one hour.
Residents who spoke to The PUNCH lamented the daily hardship they face whenever they ply the 7km road.
“Sometimes, I have to park my car at a friend’s house immediately after the bridge and walk home as my car, which is very low, cannot ply that portion of the road,” Abu Michael, a landlord in the village, said.
From the estate, commuters are greeted by potholes, posing great challenges to drivers, most of who told our correspondent that they had been going through “hell” plying the road.
An Enugu-Abuja bound commercial driver, Michael Nwankwo, expressed concern over the deplorable state of the road and its negative impact on his vehicle.
“Each time I get to Ganaja Road, I am always not happy plying the road. The reason is that I know for sure that immediately after I drop off my passengers, the next place to visit is the mechanic’s workshop.
“The road, especially between Ganaja village and Aniebo Estate, is in a very bad state. I wonder why the delay in completing the rehabilitation of this very strategic road.
“A substantial percentage of my proceeds go to the repair of my vehicle, almost on a weekly basis, with little or nothing left to show for the work I am doing in terms of profit,” Nwankwo said.
Some vehicles were seen broken down on the road as a result of the problem.
A community leader, Alhaji Suleiman Mohammed, expressed concern over the delay in completing the rehabilitation of the trunk A- 23 road.
He mentioned floods as the major contributor to the deplorable condition of the road.
“It is not funny with the kind of experience we go through as far as this road is concerned. Honestly, if nothing is done, the road will soon be impassable before long.
“The bad condition of the road has restricted the movement of goods and persons because not many vehicles ply this road again,” he noted.
