Abuja-Lokoja Gridlock: Stakeholders Urge End To Commuters’ Ordeal

Key stakeholders in the transport sector have decried the recurring gridlock on the Abuja–Lokoja Highway.

They questioned why successive administrations have failed to fix the less-than-400-kilometre critical corridor for over two decades.

The Kogi Chamber of Commerce, Industry, Mines and Agriculture (KOCCIMA) lamented the recurring traffic logjam between Banda and Nataco, which reportedly stretched to 7 kilometres and left thousands of travellers stranded for days.

Similarly, the Kogi State chairman of the Peoples Democratic Party (PDP), Hon. Muhammed Sanni Gambo, described the persistent congestion on the highway as a “national embarrassment” and a reflection of governance failure.

In a statement signed by KOCCIMA director-general, Enejoh Samuel, and made available to journalists in Lokoja, the chamber said that though the road is now free, he called for immediate government intervention.

He warned of severe economic and security consequences if the situation persists. He also alerted the Kogi State commissioner of police, Naziru Kankarfi, to the potential risks posed by the gridlock.

As part of its recommendations, KOCCIMA urged the authorities to regulate the movement of heavy-duty vehicles and proposed restricting trailers to operate between 6:00 p.m. and 6:00 a.m. to ease daytime congestion.

The chamber also advocated for the construction of temporary bypasses and the accelerated completion of ongoing road works.

It said that the gridlock was crippling socio-economic activities nationwide, particularly in Kogi State, and called on the Federal Ministry of Works and the Federal Road Safety Corps (FRSC) to take decisive steps to restore free traffic flow.

Reacting to the development, Hon. Gambo of the PDP, who reportedly spent seven hours in one spot while travelling to Abuja during the recent gridlock, blamed government inefficiency and decades of abandoned road projects for the crisis.

He insisted that with proper funding and competent contractors, the problem could be solved.

Gambo noted that the Abuja–Lokoja Road serves as a major gateway linking the Federal Capital Territory to the North-Central region and parts of southern Nigeria, playing a vital role in the transportation of food, petroleum products, and manufactured goods.

With the big Sallah celebrations approaching, Gambo warned that many Nigerians risk spending the holiday stuck in traffic if urgent measures are not taken before then.

He therefore called on the National Assembly and other critical stakeholders to intensify pressure on the government to act swiftly, describing the hardship faced by commuters during the recent logjam as “one too many.”

Some of the commuters who spoke with our Correspondent attributed the problem to the government’s insensitivity to citizens’ plight.