Residents of the Federal Capital Territory (FCT) have once again reiterated the need for alternative entry routes into the city from Nasarawa State.
The call follows a multiple accident that occurred along the Abuja-Keffi way on Monday, in which at least 25 people were killed with several others left with varying degrees of injury.
A civil servant, Thomas Ade, who spoke with LEADERSHIP, lamented that despite the series of accidents on the road and the traffic congestion witnessed on the road daily, the FCT administration had not deemed it necessary to create alternative routes to reduce pressure on the road.
This was even as he said that despite the movement restriction the administration had placed on heavy duty trucks in the city, the administration had not followed it up with enforcement as the trucks were still riding happily in the city at odd times.
“Yesterday’s accident could have been averted if the FCT administration followed up its words with actions. The administration some time ago banned heavy duty trucks from moving in the city during peak periods but this was not followed with enforcement, otherwise, the ‘killer truck’ would not have been on the road at that time of the day,” he added.
Another resident, Evelyn Agbo, also stressed the need for additional routes or expansion of the road, even as she advised motorists to always apply caution when descending the Kugbo slope to avert future occurrences.
Meanwhile, the FCT minister, Senator Bala Mohammed has commiserated with the families of those who lost their lives in the unfortunate accident.
The message was contained in a statement by the chief press secretary to the minister, Muhammad Hazat Sule.
The minister assured that government was working round the clock to reduce the traffic crisis along the route to reduce the occurrence of similar accidents in the future.
“As part of these efforts, the FCT administration has already awarded contract for the Karshi-Apo road to serve as an alternative to the ever congested Nyanya/Karu road,” the statement added.
Senator Mohammed further re-affirmed the restriction of movement of heavy duty vehicles into the federal capital city at peak hours, adding that efforts would be re-doubled to enforce it.
In a related development, the minister yesterday inaugurated two task teams with a mandate to provide the needed framework and address the challenges that had been militating against the take off of the Greater Abuja Operators License Scheme, which was inaugurated about two months ago.
The committees, enforcement team on traffic management along high capacity bus routes and internal traffic control and regulatory task force are to be chaired by Engr. Wilson Unogwu and Mr. Aminu Iro, respectively.
The minister, in a reaction to Monday’s accident at Kugbo, berated the director, FCT Directorate of Road Traffic Services, Major Adamu Argungu (rtd) over the inability of the department to enforce the ban on movement of heavy duty trucks in the city during peak hours.
He told directors in the FCT administration to buckle up to the challenges of administering the city, saying he could not afford to fail and anyone who posed as a stumbling block would be shown the way out.
?