BY Dada Ahmed in lokoja
Engineers from the Department of Highway Bridge and Design (Road Design North) of the Federal Ministry of Works and Housing Abuja, in partnership with the Kogi State Ministry of Works and Housing as well as the Federal Road Safety Corps (FRSC) have begun visit to deplorable roads in Kogi State.
The aim is to make reduce road accident, especially on Felele Highway, notorious for ghastly autocrashes among other measures.
This is contained in a statement made available to the The Reporters, an online publication in lokoja on Saturday by the Public Relations Officer for the state Ministry Mr Abraham Benjamin Enejoh.
He said to ensure the realisation of the objective of both government,stakeholders on road construction held interactive session on the possible ways to proffer lasting solution to the incessant road accident in Kogi State.
Enejoh added that the session involved Engr. Omotayo O. Awosanya, Head of the Department of Highway Bridge and Design Federal Ministry of Works and Housing and his counterparts in the state Ministry of Works and Housing.
He recalled the session was one of the outcomes Governor Yahaya Bello’s visit to the Minister of Works and Housing, Mr Babatunde Fashola (SAN) in Abuja, on the need to give urgent attention to deplorable Federal Roads in the State.
The ministry’s image maker said, “Subsequently,the Kogi State Commissioner for Works and Housing, Engr Abubakar S. Ohere, called on the Federal Government of Nigeria to quickly intervene on the the deplorable condition of Federal roads in the State, in order to avoid accident in this “Mber” months.”
Eneojoh quoted the commissioner as noting that the State Government could not fold its hands without making efforts to make roads passable, considering the socio economic importance of roads to the State and the nation at large.
” We are appealing to the Federal Ministry of Works and Housing to graciously approve the re-enforcement of the compliance of the contract awarded for the construction of Ganaja road and others roads in Kogi State” Ohere requested.
Engr Awosanya, in his opening speech, said that his Team was in the meeting on behalf of Fashola, to conduct a site visit to Felele area of Lokoja and other deplorable points in the State in order to create remedy for the incessant accident in Nigeria.
He further revealed that the two major flash points for road accident in Nigeria were the Felele area of Lokoja Kogi State and the Otedola Bridge in Lagos.
The engineer stressed that the Minister of Works and Housing was quite worried on the frequent ghastly motor accident at the two points and therefore, demanded stakeholders to brainstorm on the possible ways to end “this devastating occurrences within the shortest time.”
Suggesting the remedy that could mitigate this nasty occurrence, the Acting Director Civil Engineering Department, Kogi State Ministry of Works and Housing, Engr Simon Oguche, called for the construction of an interchange, create a service lane, develop a shoulder and build speed breakers at the necessary points.
He expressed optimism that if such measures were put in place, incessant accident on Felele area would be laid to rest.
Contributing, Mr Idris Fika, the Kogi State Sector Commander of the Federal Road Safety Corps (FRSC), attributed the cause of he frequent motor accident in the Felele area of Lokoja to Human activities.
He said that “If the Lokoja International Market is relocated or people are restricted to trade within the market, without hanging outside the fence of the market for trading activities, the frequent horrible experience on that road will be drastically reduced.
“If proper action is not taken now, with the presence of Lokoja International Market, Kogi State Polytechnic, Federal University Lokoja, International Terminal, and the proposed Federal Medical Centre on that road, it could be more devastating in the future than what we are currently passing through now, ” he warned.
During inspection to the failed section on Ganaja road, Awosanya appealed to the representative of Federal Road Mentainance Agency (FERMA), Engr Bankole,”to commence palliative work on the road immediately, to ease difficulty in transportation being experienced by commuters, especially in the “Ember months”.
On felele road, Awosanya recommended the construction of Double Service Lane on the both sides of the road, an Interchange or Grace Separation as well as speed breakers on Dual carriage to help to decongest the road.
He also recommended a shoulder (Parking Lane) to be constructed at appropriate places on the road to avoid drivers parking vehicles indiscriminately.
Awosanya appealed to the State Government to secure the right of way,assuring the measure would ease the work of the Federal Ministry of Works and Housing and bring lasting solution to incessant autocrashes on the road and other roads in the state.
The Reporters recalls that Felele Highway witnessed a ghastly motor accident, about two months ago, characterised by tanker explosion during which a family of six and five students of the state Polytechnic, lokoja lost their lives.
Though FRSC put the casualty figure at 23, sources believed the figure could be as high as 40.
