By Dada Ahmed in Lokoja.
Movement of vehicles on Lokoja-Abuja road eased on Sunday as flood which took over vehicular and human movement at kotonkarfe axis of the road commenced receding.
Our Correspondent who visited the road on Monday reports that, some personnel of the Federal Road Safety Corps FRSC, kogi state Command, were seen controlling gradual movement of trucks as they passed through the road which is recovering from flood.
Commenting on the cheering development described by drivers as a big relief, the Sector Commander of FRSC in the state,Mr Stephen Dawulung, said at kotonkarfe that the move was also to ease effect of fuel scarcity being experienced in the North, apart from relieving motorists and other road users.
According to him,the Corps is worried the flood in kotonkarfe at Koton-karfe along Abuja-Lokoja highway in the last 10 days,is causing serious fuel scarcity in the North as being reported in the media.
Dawulung noted that blockage caused by flood could not allow motorists, particularly petroleum tankers, to convey petroleum products to Abuja and other northern states.
“The good news is that, the flood or water that covered the road is fast receding and the road is visible with vehicles moving side by side from both ends of the road.
“In fact, since yesterday, Sunday, we have been controlling the traffic which is moving faster and steady with priority to those heading to Abuja to help arrest the sufferings of motorists and commuters up north, ” he told NAN Correspondent.
Dawulung said that the long queues that passed Crusher in Lokoja from Koton-Karfe and the other one at Gegu of the other side had greatly reduced due to the free flow of traffic.
He said, “as it is now, the traffic is around Banda, moving towards the long Murtala Mohammed Bridge as we try to allow the trucks move up north.”
Throwing more light on the receding nature of the flood, the Sector Commander disclosed that the traffic at the side from Abuja had also drastically reduced “around Ozi village not far from Koton-Karfe as we speak.
“Another good thing is that, members of the National Union of Road Transport Workers (NURTW) have magnanimously filled up the gullies on the flooded road, which allowed free flow of traffic.
“Our prayer is that, with this success being recorded so far, let us not record any more brake down from any of the trucks as they move on.
“This is because we are hoping that with the flood receding, in next few days, normalcy will return to the troubled Abuja-Lokoja express way, ” he said.
Edited by Dada Ahmed.
