Kogi Monarch Seeks Action On Abuja-Lokoja Highway

A monarch, the Ohimegye Igu of Koton Karfe, Alhaji Saidu Akawu Salihu, has appealed to the Federal Ministry of Works to intervene in critical sections of the Abuja-Lokoja Highway to avert gridlock and loss of lives.

He spoke yesterday during a visit to the Federal Ministry of Works in Lokoja, where he presented a letter addressed to the minister of works, outlining major accident-prone and deteriorating sections of the road.
Salihu said the visit followed a resolution of the Koton Karfe Traditional Council, which mandated him to draw the attention of the ministry to the worsening condition of the federal highway and the hardship it was causing residents and motorists.

He urged the ministry to pay attention to critical sections between Chikara and Abaji, Aseni and Omoko, Idu Bridge, Gegu Egba and Ahoko, Manyare and Gegu-Beki Gaba, Okpana and Ozi community, as well as the diversion at Koton Karfe.

The traditional ruler also called for urgent intervention around the first and second bridges and Iziho community, stressing that the identified locations had become major sources of traffic congestion and accidents.

According to him, while residents and motorists eagerly await the completion of the Abuja-Lokoja federal highway, immediate repairs on the problematic sections would provide much-needed relief to road users.

“Every day we live in fear of mishaps that lead to calamity. This is why the Traditional Council asked me to personally visit you and express the enormity of our worry over the state of the Abuja-Lokoja Federal Road,” he said.

He lamented that prolonged gridlock on the road often resulted in long queues into Lokoja, leading to loss of man-hours, economic hardship and, in some cases, fatalities.

“I urge you to take responsibility as we step into the Ember months. Our people and motorists plying the Abuja-Lokoja Federal Highway have suffered untold hardship,” Salihu added.

Responding, the Kogi State Acting Federal Controller of Works, Engr Owoniya Bankole, acknowledged the concerns raised by the traditional ruler and described the Koton Karfe-Abaji section of the highway as a hotspot.

Bankole, however, said measures had been activated to ease the hardship being experienced by communities and motorists along the corridor.

He explained that the current delays and gridlock were partly due to the ongoing conversion of the road from asphalt to concrete by the Federal Government.

According to him, the concrete pavement construction process is slower but offers greater durability and a longer lifespan, with reduced maintenance requirements over the years.

The controller assured that priority attention would be given to the identified challenging portions of the highway.

He also apologised to residents and motorists over the hardship, assuring that the ministry would intensify efforts to minimise the risk of accidents and improve the safety of road users.

Bankole further disclosed that the ministry would collaborate with the Federal Road Safety Corps and other security agencies to tackle factors contributing to gridlock on the Abuja-Lokoja highway.

The high point of the visit was the presentation of the letter addressed to the minister of works by the Ohimegye Igu to the acting federal controller of works for onward transmission.