Reps To End 18-kilometre Gridlock On Niger Road

House of Representatives has taken steps to address the 18-kilometre gridlock on the Lambata to Suleja Road in Niger State.

The House urged the Federal Ministry of Works, Federal Road Maintenance Agency (FERMA) and other agencies to immediately deploy personnel and resources to complement the efforts of Niger State government which has constituted a task force to address the situation.

The resolution was sequel to the adoption of a motion of urgent public importance moved by Hon. Saidu Musa Abdullahi (APC, Niger) and nine others at plenary.

Moving the motion, Hon. Abdullahi said for the past six days, an unprecedented 18-kilometre gridlock between Lambata and Suleja had crippled traffic on the highway.

According to him, the road is one of the busiest and most critical federal highways in the country, connecting people, goods and services, including essential and perishable items between northern and western states.

The lawmaker disclosed that the gridlock was caused by potholes along Maje to Dikko Junction, a key artery to the nation’s capital city, Abuja.

He said in the light of the situation, small vehicles on emergency journeys had been compelled to take alternative bushy routes via Izom to Suleja; a route fraught with security threats.

“The current situation has resulted in huge losses in valuable man-hours, impacted negatively on perishable goods, especially agricultural produce, with severe implications on the economy of the nation and has also heightened the risk of accidents and made the area prone to criminal activities, thereby compromising the safety of commuters and residents.