A Dangerous Trend On Abuja Roads

I write with an excessive amount of concern in regards to the fast and willful destruction of Abuja roads by truck (tipper) drivers conveying sand, gravel and concrete by means of town to numerous development websites.

At first, it was random circumstances of those truck drivers recklessly discharging parts of their cargo on the roads in transit. However in latest occasions, this development has taken a extra rampant dimension, with complete stretches of roads plagued by gravel, concrete and sand, to such extent that the concrete solidifies into laborious lots, forming ugly bumps that deface the roads.

Alarmed by this ugly development, I’m bothered to ask: ‘Is that this a deliberate try to destroy or diminish the great work the FCT Minister is doing or is it simply pure recklessness on the a part of the truck drivers, unconcerned in regards to the injury they’re doing to our roads, which in the long run would price the federal government tons of of billions of naira to repair?’ And it’s stunning to see that a few of these roads have been solely lately constructed or reconstructed!

Days in the past, whereas driving by means of town, I couldn’t imagine the extent of harm these truck drivers had brought on. Nearly each highway I drove by means of had been so badly defaced. I used to be pressured to cease by a stationary Federal Highway Security Corps (FRSC) patrol automobile to attract their consideration to the state of the highway on which they have been stationed. They voiced their concern and I may inform that they have been as appalled as I used to be, however I additionally sensed, by their tone of voice and the frustration on their faces, that they have been helpless and misplaced for what to do. It was at that time that I made a decision to put in writing this open letter to the FCT Minister, Barr Nyesom Wike, hoping that he would get to learn it and do one thing quick earlier than all the great roads he’s constructing, and certainly, beforehand current ones, are destroyed in a single day leading to monumental loss to the federal government who would then should rebuild them just for the vicious circle to proceed. My guess is that this development isn’t peculiar to the Federal Capital Territory alone; infinite kilometres of federal and state roads should be present process the identical remedy, and it’s my hope that the Minister of Works and the state governments would take acceptable motion.

Certainly, regulatory insurance policies and legal guidelines may very well be put in place to stop the haulage of sand, gravel and concrete by means of town with vehicles which can be insufficient for the aim. With harsh punitive measures backing these insurance policies and legal guidelines, such vehicles couldn’t solely be confiscated and destroyed, however the offending drivers and the house owners of the vehicles may very well be made to pay heavy fines. This may very well be the one strategy to forestall the wanton destruction of our roads.

It’s pointless to begin mentioning the names of streets and roads I had pushed by means of and observed this ugly development; that could be limiting the extent of the injury and menace as I could solely reach drawing consideration to a small portion of town by means of which I repeatedly commute. Honourable Minister Sir, I’d as a substitute urge you to drive by means of town; sure, your metropolis, our metropolis, the one you might be passionately making an attempt to construct for the great of all, and see for your self the extent of harm that has been attributable to truck drivers, after which attempt to quantify what which means in money-terms in the case of rebuilding them. After which consider the truth that it isn’t nearly rebuilding them, however that these roads would most actually be destroyed time and again every time they’re rebuilt, and that this vicious circle may turn out to be infinite if nothing drastic is finished to deal with the issue.

Honourable Minister, I commend your good work within the FCT, however this can be a clarion name, your good work is being destroyed proper earlier than your eyes, leaving an unpleasant path behind each inch of your progress.

I imagine the minister won’t sit again and watch.

–       Atogun, a novelist, writes from Abuja