Okene-Lokoja, Okene-Ajaokuta Roads Turn Death Trap
Motorists plying Okene-Lokoja ,Okene-Ajaokuta and other federal roads on Kogi are groaning under the deteriorating condition of the roads.
Daily Trust Saturday findings reveal that one of the worst of the federal roads are the Itobe-Ajaokuta-Okene and Lokoja-Okene roads.
The ever-busy Itobe -Ajaokuta-Okene and Ajaokuta-Lokoja road which links other parts to the eastern part of the country has been in deplorable condition for a long time.
The portion of the road which has become a nightmare for many road users over the years spans from the Geregu Power Plant in Ajaokuta to the Niger Bridge (Itobe Bridge) end of the road.
In the same vein, the dual carriageway from Ajaokuta-Adogo-Okene has also been in deplorable condition.
In February 2015, the contract for the rehabilitation of the entire stretch of the Okene-Ajaokuta-Itobe road was awarded by the Federal Ministry of Works, Power, and Housing.
Daily Trust gathered that the project with contract number 06260, was awarded to SCOA Nigeria Plc, was to last for 18 months. The contract was supposed to cover the reconstruction and rehabilitation of the dual carriageway from the Geregu Power Plant end of the Lokoja-Ajaokuta road, down to the Niger Bridge end at Itobe.
It was also meant to cover the stretch of road from Ajaokuta-Adogo-Okene, which had equally remained in a deplorable condition for several years.
However, five years after the contract was awarded, nothing much has been done on the roads, thus leaving commuters and motorists traveling on it to go through harrowing experiences on a daily basis.
On regular basis, dozens of articulated and heavy-duty vehicles conveying goods such as grains, vegetables, fruits, livestock, agricultural products, building materials, and other products pass through the road, thus worsening its condition.
A motorist, Ameer Ibrahim, said it was embarrassing and unfortunate for the Ajaokuta-Okene road to deteriorate to that level when there was still a government in place.
He appealed to the federal government to find an urgent solution to the road, particularly during this period. A check revealed that asphalt on the greater part of the 56km Ajaokuta-Okene road has eroded just as it lacks shoulders and channels.
A community leader in Ajaokuta, Bello Abdulmalik, called for the federal government’s urgent attention.
“This road has been in this deplorable condition for over 20 years. In times past, we heard that budgetary allocations were made for the road, but we never saw any work done.
“Luckily enough, about five years ago, we saw that the contract for the rehabilitation was awarded to SCOA. We were very excited about it. They started the work but unfortunately, they didn’t go far before they abandoned it. Where they even began, they couldn’t complete.
Deplorable condition of the Ajaokuta-Okene road
“They were to do the road from Niger Bridge to Okene but didn’t go far before the work slowed down. We don’t enjoy the road at all, especially if you are going to Okene. Before, it took about 30 minutes from Ajaokuta to Okene when the road was good, but now it takes you almost two hours to make the journey.
“Drivers charge us double the normal fare because of the bad road. Only a few drivers agree to ply the route. Trailers always have accidents, especially during the rainy season. It is only during the dry season that motorists have some respite.
“We want the federal government to assist us in fixing it so as to help save lives. We have been voting all the years and we need to enjoy the needed dividends of democracy. We want to call on President Muhammadu Buhari to do something urgently because we here in Ajaokuta voted massively for him during the last election. We will be very happy if he can assist,” he said.
Findings revealed that for many decades, the condition of that particular portion of the road has remained in deplorable state as it continued to deteriorate. In the same vein, the stretch of federal road from Lokoja to Okene has also been in deplorable condition over the years.
Our correspondent reports that the condition of the road has worsened since the onset of the rainy season. Motorists are forced to spend many hours on the road due to the condition.
Some motorists who travel from Lokoja end towards Okene now take longer a route bypassing Obajana to Kabba before connecting Okene.
Kidnappers and armed robbers are said to have leveraged on the condition of the roads to abduct and rob people.
Daily Trust had earlier reported how Governor Yahaya Bello called on the federal government to give urgent attention to the Okene-Lokoja.
The governor who spoke while traveling to his Okene home described the current condition of the road as an “eyesore”. He called on the federal government to commence comprehensive rehabilitation work on the road to alleviate the suffering of commuters and motorists.
Another section of the deplorable Ajaokuta-Okene road Bello said his administration had intervened in the maintenance of the road in the 2017/2018 fiscal year, lamenting that such maintenance could not stand the test of time due to heavy traffic.
The governor stated that the motorists are citizens who have fulfilled their civic rights by electing their leaders at all levels of government and do not deserve to spend days on a journey they would have made in hours.
Bello appealed to the Minister of Works and Housing, Babatunde Fashola, to as a matter of urgency look into the condition of Lokoja-Okene-Ekiti road.
He said; “As a major road that connects the North and the South of the country, the road suffers heavy traffic and so, millions of Nigerians suffer the deplorable condition.”
A deplorable portion of the Ajaokuta-Okene road
When contacted, the Federal Controller of Works, Kogi Field Office, Engr Jimoh Olatunde Kajogbola, said the contractor handling the Ajaokuta-Okene road project had not been living up to expectations and that the process for termination of the contract was already on.
Also speaking, the Federal Road Maintenance Engineer in charge of FERMA in Kogi, Engr Sunday Adewusi, said the Ajaokuta-Okene road had failed and required total rehabilitation.
“It is beyond palliative or temporary measures. The award of this road should be given to a competent contractor who has adequate manpower and equipment for the execution of the job.
“Since there are three major companies situated on the Ajaokuta-Okene road, they could be taxed to repair the road as it’s been done on Lokoja-Obajana-Kabba road. The companies should also be made to provide parking lots for their trucks which they usually park by the roadside”, he said.
He said plans were on by the federal government to give approval to FERMA to carry out some palliative works on the Okene bound stretch of the Ajaokuta-Okene road.
Daily Trust Saturday findings reveal that one of the worst of the federal roads are the Itobe-Ajaokuta-Okene and Lokoja-Okene roads.
The ever-busy Itobe -Ajaokuta-Okene and Ajaokuta-Lokoja road which links other parts to the eastern part of the country has been in deplorable condition for a long time.
The portion of the road which has become a nightmare for many road users over the years spans from the Geregu Power Plant in Ajaokuta to the Niger Bridge (Itobe Bridge) end of the road.
In the same vein, the dual carriageway from Ajaokuta-Adogo-Okene has also been in deplorable condition.
In February 2015, the contract for the rehabilitation of the entire stretch of the Okene-Ajaokuta-Itobe road was awarded by the Federal Ministry of Works, Power, and Housing.
Daily Trust gathered that the project with contract number 06260, was awarded to SCOA Nigeria Plc, was to last for 18 months. The contract was supposed to cover the reconstruction and rehabilitation of the dual carriageway from the Geregu Power Plant end of the Lokoja-Ajaokuta road, down to the Niger Bridge end at Itobe.
It was also meant to cover the stretch of road from Ajaokuta-Adogo-Okene, which had equally remained in a deplorable condition for several years.
However, five years after the contract was awarded, nothing much has been done on the roads, thus leaving commuters and motorists traveling on it to go through harrowing experiences on a daily basis.
On regular basis, dozens of articulated and heavy-duty vehicles conveying goods such as grains, vegetables, fruits, livestock, agricultural products, building materials, and other products pass through the road, thus worsening its condition.
A motorist, Ameer Ibrahim, said it was embarrassing and unfortunate for the Ajaokuta-Okene road to deteriorate to that level when there was still a government in place.
He appealed to the federal government to find an urgent solution to the road, particularly during this period. A check revealed that asphalt on the greater part of the 56km Ajaokuta-Okene road has eroded just as it lacks shoulders and channels.
A community leader in Ajaokuta, Bello Abdulmalik, called for the federal government’s urgent attention.
“This road has been in this deplorable condition for over 20 years. In times past, we heard that budgetary allocations were made for the road, but we never saw any work done.
“Luckily enough, about five years ago, we saw that the contract for the rehabilitation was awarded to SCOA. We were very excited about it. They started the work but unfortunately, they didn’t go far before they abandoned it. Where they even began, they couldn’t complete.
Deplorable condition of the Ajaokuta-Okene road
“They were to do the road from Niger Bridge to Okene but didn’t go far before the work slowed down. We don’t enjoy the road at all, especially if you are going to Okene. Before, it took about 30 minutes from Ajaokuta to Okene when the road was good, but now it takes you almost two hours to make the journey.
“Drivers charge us double the normal fare because of the bad road. Only a few drivers agree to ply the route. Trailers always have accidents, especially during the rainy season. It is only during the dry season that motorists have some respite.
“We want the federal government to assist us in fixing it so as to help save lives. We have been voting all the years and we need to enjoy the needed dividends of democracy. We want to call on President Muhammadu Buhari to do something urgently because we here in Ajaokuta voted massively for him during the last election. We will be very happy if he can assist,” he said.
Findings revealed that for many decades, the condition of that particular portion of the road has remained in deplorable state as it continued to deteriorate. In the same vein, the stretch of federal road from Lokoja to Okene has also been in deplorable condition over the years.
Our correspondent reports that the condition of the road has worsened since the onset of the rainy season. Motorists are forced to spend many hours on the road due to the condition.
Some motorists who travel from Lokoja end towards Okene now take longer a route bypassing Obajana to Kabba before connecting Okene.
Kidnappers and armed robbers are said to have leveraged on the condition of the roads to abduct and rob people.
Daily Trust had earlier reported how Governor Yahaya Bello called on the federal government to give urgent attention to the Okene-Lokoja.
The governor who spoke while traveling to his Okene home described the current condition of the road as an “eyesore”. He called on the federal government to commence comprehensive rehabilitation work on the road to alleviate the suffering of commuters and motorists.
Another section of the deplorable Ajaokuta-Okene road Bello said his administration had intervened in the maintenance of the road in the 2017/2018 fiscal year, lamenting that such maintenance could not stand the test of time due to heavy traffic.
The governor stated that the motorists are citizens who have fulfilled their civic rights by electing their leaders at all levels of government and do not deserve to spend days on a journey they would have made in hours.
Bello appealed to the Minister of Works and Housing, Babatunde Fashola, to as a matter of urgency look into the condition of Lokoja-Okene-Ekiti road.
He said; “As a major road that connects the North and the South of the country, the road suffers heavy traffic and so, millions of Nigerians suffer the deplorable condition.”
A deplorable portion of the Ajaokuta-Okene road
When contacted, the Federal Controller of Works, Kogi Field Office, Engr Jimoh Olatunde Kajogbola, said the contractor handling the Ajaokuta-Okene road project had not been living up to expectations and that the process for termination of the contract was already on.
Also speaking, the Federal Road Maintenance Engineer in charge of FERMA in Kogi, Engr Sunday Adewusi, said the Ajaokuta-Okene road had failed and required total rehabilitation.
“It is beyond palliative or temporary measures. The award of this road should be given to a competent contractor who has adequate manpower and equipment for the execution of the job.
“Since there are three major companies situated on the Ajaokuta-Okene road, they could be taxed to repair the road as it’s been done on Lokoja-Obajana-Kabba road. The companies should also be made to provide parking lots for their trucks which they usually park by the roadside”, he said.
He said plans were on by the federal government to give approval to FERMA to carry out some palliative works on the Okene bound stretch of the Ajaokuta-Okene road.
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