While states in the country may have different stories to tell about the profiles of their infrastructure developments, they certainly share common tales of suffering, tears and sorrow with regards to the frequent tragedies on highways located in their areas, as well as insecurity across the country.
Borrowing from Ben Okri's award winning novel, ''The Famished Road,'' it will appear that many federal roads in the country are not only famished, figuratively speaking, they are literally thirsty for blood, as they record many fatal accidents and provide cover for robberies and kidnappings
Indeed, reports, following investigations carried out by Vanguard across the country, revealed this alarming verdict: Most of these roads, which have witnessed numerous traffic fatalities in the recent past, are still death-traps or disasters waiting to happen.
From South-East to South-South, South-West to North-Central and North-East to North-West, the story is the same: rather than aiding hitch-free movement from one location to the other, most of the federally-owned highways are dilapidated or in deteriorating state, and coupled with the recklessness of drivers and some climatic factors, have over time become prone to frequent vehicular accidents that have claimed many lives, with millions of naira worth of goods and properties lost in the process.
The situation is made worse in some cases where the construction, reconstruction or rehabilitation of some of these roads are stalled due to disputes over costs between government and contractors.
But while the disputes linger, cases of road fatalities continue to occur. For instance, speaking with Vanguard, the Commander of the Federal Road Safety Commission, FRSC, in Rivers State, Samuel lbitoye, disclosed that 180 persons were killed in 384 road crashes in 2023, adding that while 170 persons died in 329 road accidents in 2024, 50 persons were lost to four road crashes between December last year and February 2025.
Cross River State presents similar tragic examples. The Itu-Calabar highway linking Akwa Ibom to other states has in recent times, become regular scene of accidents with trucks and passenger vehicles often crashing into crater-like ditches on the road.
Another is the Bida-Lapai-Agaie road, connecting Lambata in Niger State, which has witnessed several road crashes, with lives and properties worth millions of naira lost.
Similarly, many persons have lost their lives to avoidable accidents on the Minna-Lambata-Suleja road, also in Niger State, due to its dilapidated state.
The road accidents statistics has only got worse as within one month this year, over 100 lives were lost within the state. The first was the Dikko tanker explosion as a result of bad road during which over 100 persons were burnt beyond recognition, while 89 were injured. Houses, shops and other properties worth millions of naira were destroyed.
In Oyo State, the situation recently took a turn for the worse, prompting federal lawmakers, community and traditional leaders to raise the alarm, demanding an immediate remedial response from the relevant authorities.
They expressed worries over what they described as deplorable state of roads in some parts of the state, and called on the federal ministry of works and contractors handling ongoing projects in the state to ensure speedy completion.
A comprehensive on-the-spot inspections of federal roads in different states across the country by Vanguard tell a tragic story.
Horrible federal roads in Cross River
Cross River State has eight federal roads, six of which are decrepit. Among them are the Calabar-Ikom-Ogoja, Calabar-Itu-Uyo, Calabar-Bakassi, Ikom-Obudu, and Calabar-Urban. The Abakaliki-Ikom and Ikom-to-Cameroon motorways are in fairly good shape.
Road users experience hell navigating the Calabar-Uyo highway because of its dilapidated nature.
Contract for the reconstruction of the road, awarded several years ago, is split between Julius Berger Construction Company and Sematech. Julius Beger has since vacated the place, purportedly because the Federal Ministry of Works has failed to keep to terms.
"You are talking about Sermatech's inability to speed up work, do you know that the government owes us N28 billion? How can we procure materials, maintain equipment and pay staff when our funds are trapped?" a staff of the company queried when Vanguard visited its section of the road to evaluate progress.
Several efforts have been made to construct the 300-kilometre Ogoja-Calabar highway, the most recent of which is the Sukuk Initiative. For several years, efforts to work on the road were unsuccessful until African Development Bank, AfDB, and other bodies sponsored the construction of a section of the international highway from Enugu through Ikom.
A driver with the popular Crosslines, Cross River State's mass transit, Effiong Maxwell, told Vanguard that the section between Calabar and Ibiaye Palm Estate remained a death trap.
"A journey that should take one hour takes about three hours, and for those of us plying Abuja-Calabar route, that section is the most dreadful, particularly at night when hoodlums take advantage of the bad state of the road to kidnap and rob travellers," he explained.
Rising death toll on Itu-Calabar highway linking A'Ibom to other states
Similarly, travelling on the Itu-Calabar federal highway, linking Akwa Ibom State to neighbouring states, is prone to fatalities.
The reconstruction has suffered years of non-completion and turned into an indescribable nightmare for travellers. Many have abandoned the highway for the Oron water route to Calabar, the Cross River State capital.
January 2014 witnessed one of the most terrible accident with high death toll on the Calabar-Itu road. A truck collided with a commercial bus, killing 19 occupants in the bus, and one lucky passenger survived with severe injuries.
In February 2021, a Mack truck and a Toyota Hiace bus collided on the Calabar-Itu highway, resulting in nine fatalities and three serious injuries.
On December 4, 2023, no fewer than five persons died and 11 others sustained injuries in an auto crash on the same highway involving a Nissan Caravan and a Mack truck.
Drivers who spoke to Vanguard, lamented the frequent death of people on the failed highway. A Sienna driver, Mr. Covenant, said: "From Nkim Itam to Oku Iboku to Itu Head Bridge, the condition is so bad. As a commercial driver, I cannot use my vehicle on that road any more.
The last time I drove on it, it cost me N100,000 to fix my vehicle. Passengers suffer, too. Just recently, five Calabar-bound passengers boarded my vehicle from Port Harcourt. I arrived in Uyo and discharged them to board another vehicle to Calabar. The condition of the road has forced me to start plying Uyo-Port Harcourt-Benin-City route.
"Warri to Benin has bad portions too, but they are working on it now. It is the Akwa Ibom stretch of the Calabar-Itu highway that is giving us serious concern. And the reckless driving of heavy trucks loaded with granite and stones aggravates fatal accidents."
Kruikang axis in Odukpani local government area," Ita stated.
Over 150 people burnt to death; 100 vehicles wrecked in Rivers
With the rainy season here, commercial drivers in Rivers State who ply the East/West Road, have cried out to the Federal Government to fix the broken parts of the road to make movement easier and safe.
Idongesit Udo, a driver, who plies the road daily from the Waterlines Bus-stop in Port Harcourt to Uyo in Akwa Ibom State, regretted that the Eleme/Aleto portion of the East/West road is a death trap that has killed many people in recent times.
Udo recalled the unfortunate death of an expatriate who drowned in the Aleto River in a desperate attempt to escape from kidnappers on his trail, adding that if the road was smooth, there was no way the expatriate, with his police orderlies, would have ended the manner he did.
He said though construction was ongoing along the portion of the Port-Harcourt Refinery Roundabout, the pace of work was slow and might likely drag, which will worsen the state of the road and impact more negatively on commuters and drivers.
The Indorama Roundabout poses a terrible threat to road users, though construction is ongoing. He recalled the disaster that occurred at the spot in April 2024, when a fuel tanker slipped on the road and burst into flames. No fewer than 40 people died in the process, with about 92 vehicles completely burnt.
Udo, who has plied the East/West Road as a commercial driver for 13 years, said: "Last year's disaster was bad enough for the federal government to step up action in completing that road. Close to 100 vehicles were destroyed in that tanker fire incident last April. So many people died. All of this was as a result of the bad road.''
Federal roads go downhill in Delta
Chizoba, a commercial driver on the Eku-Agbor federal road in Delta State, said: "Remedial work has been going on but it is slow. I do not see much impact being made as the rainy season sets in. Vehicles now drive through some portions of the road from Eku through Obiaruku, headquarters of Ukwuani Local Government Area.
''With what they are doing, if they do not close up the bad spots completely as the rains have set in, we will return to the same problem. So far, they have poured stones on the gullies to make them motorable, it is better than nothing."
On Ologbo portion of Warri-Benin road, it is the same slow pace of work, a driver who plies Warri-Benin, Mr. Osadolor told Vanguard.
Recall that a petrol tanker spilled its contents because of the run-down road about two years ago, and several lives were lost in the inferno that followed.
"They are working, but for more than eight months, vehicles have been driving through the Ologbo community to connect with the express road at some point on the road. Though the repair work has removed the long and endless hold-ups on the road, it is not salutary that after eight months, vehicles still drive through Ologbo community to connect with the main expressway."
Few federal roads in Bayelsa in good shape
Bayelsa State has the least mileage or length of federal roads, approximately less than 100 kilometres. All other roads in the state are owned by the state government.
The Mbiama-Yenagoa Road, now known as the Melford Okilo Road, is the longest federal road within the state capital.
A former Trunk A road dualised about 23 years ago by the administration of the late Chief Diepreye Alamieyeseigha before reimbursement by the Federal Government, as well as the three primary roads within Yenagoa, could be described as some of the most enduring roads constructed in the country.
It has been more than two decades since the Mbiama-Yenagoa was constructed. The road is still solid and has not only survived years of ravaging floods but has succeeded in preventing overflowing water from Epie Creek from overrunning the state capital because of its high elevation.
The Yenagoa-Okarki-Kolo creek road, a Trunk A federal road that cuts through Rivers and Bayelsa states, linking the Ogbia council area to the mainland Yenagoa, is in perfect condition, ostensibly due to low traffic on the route.
However, the Yenagoa-Kolo-Otuoke-Bayelsa Palm road, another federal road which ground-breaking ceremony was done towards the twilight of the Goodluck Jonathan administration, has since been abandoned.
The construction work was started under the immediate past administration of President Muhammadu Buhari, covering less than three kilometres.
It was, however, learned that because of the limitation of FERMA's mandate in Bayelsa, on account of the few federal roads in the state, the agency had to extend its operation beyond the routine rehabilitation and maintenance of federal roads to the state to ensure proper utilization of road maintenance funds meant for the state.
The deputy governor, Senator Lawrence Ewhrudjakpo, lamenting the near absence of federal roads in the state, said: "Bayelsa has the least mileage or length of federal roads in the country. What we have here is about 80 to 100 kilometres of federal roads. All the other roads are owned by the state."
He said the state government had expected the Federal Government to show concern through FERMA by intervening in the rehabilitation of its roads devastated in the 2022 floods, but lamented that did not happen as the state government alone fixed all its affected roads.
In contrast to the Mbiama-Okogbe section of the problematic road in Rivers State, which was washed away in the 2022 monster flood, the Bayelsa stretch of the federally-owned East-West road, though still unfinished, is much better and motorable due to the recent rehabilitation of the failed portions.
North's highways of frequent disasters, death
The main expectation is that federal roads were primarily built to help improve the transportation of people, goods and services with ease. But these roads, which are spread across the length and breadth of the north, have since become a nemesis for their users, and have sent many souls to their early graves, leaving their loved ones with grief and regret.
Niger State: Over 100 lives lost this year
Niger State has the longest federal roads in Nigeria, covering at least 1,437 kilometres in five of the 25 local government areas of the state. Of this, 1,115 kilometres representing about 80 percent of trunk 'A' roads in the state, are in a deplorable state, which makes them accident-prone most of the time.
Among these highways of death in Niger State are the Jebba-Mokwa-Bokani-Tegina-Kagara, connecting Birnin-Gwari-Kaduna highway; the Rijau through Zuru in Kebbi State; the Katcha -Baro- Agaie -Lapai-Lambata-Suleja and Rofia-Swete-Segema roads.
Others are the Wawa-Kaima, Auna-New Bussa, Sarkin Pawa-Kaduna section as well as the Pandogari Gurmana-Allawa roads.
Added to these is the Bida-Lapai-Agaie road which terminates at Lambata. The road has for several months been prone to accidents which claimed lives and properties worth millions of naira. Similarly, many persons have lost their lives to avoidable accidents on the Minna-Lambata-Suleja road due to its dilapidated state.
Within one month of this year, over 100 lives were lost to accidents within the state. The first was the Dikko tanker explosion as a result of the bad road during which over 100 persons were burnt beyond recognition, 89 injured, while houses, shops and other properties worth millions of naira were lost.
The Bida-Lapai-Agaie Road had also in the past few years, claimed many lives and properties due to the poor state of the road which had remained unattended to in the past years.
Though there are elements of reckless driving by the drivers linked to the fatal accidents, most of the accidents are attributed to failed sections of the roads.
Several attempts had been made by previous administrations to fix these federal roads but all ended on the drawing board and as a political gimmick to woo the people of the state for votes during elections.
Though work is ongoing on the ever-busy Mokwa-Jebba-Ilorin federal highway, accidents still occur frequently on the same road due to reckless driving and impatience by some drivers.
The failed sections of the Mokwa-Tegina-Makera-Kagara-Kaduna road have led to incessant kidnapping day and night on the highway.
The development has now forced drivers of most tankers, commercial and private vehicles to ply the Mokwa-Bida-Kapai- Agaie-Lambata road to connect either Abuja or other porthern parts of the country.
Most often, tankers carrying either petrol or diesel and other articulated vehicles also fall off the road and in some cases, burst into flames due to the deplorable state of the road.
It is on record that contract for the completion of the over 30-km Agaie-Katcha-Baro Road was awarded in January 2015 at the cost of N17.5 billion and was expected to be completed by January 16, 2016; but unfortunately, the road has been abandoned.
Statistics have also revealed that most federal roads in the state have, for over 40 years, remained unattended to, despite calls by successive administrations to the appropriate authorities.
Similarly, the laws enacted to ensure strict compliance on tonnage of heavy duty vehicles plying roads in Niger State has not been complied with, leading to frequent deplorable situation of the road and accidents.
The Vice Chairman of NUPENG in the state, Alhaji Faruk Kawo, expressed the disappointment of his union over the bad state of federal roads in the state.
"All the federal roads in the state are currently in a deplorable condition and we have had series of dialogue with both the state and federal governments on the unfortunate situation and honestly, we don't even know what to do any more,'' he said.
However, while government has failed in its responsibilities to fix the road, there are also human factors leading to frequent accidents on the highways.
Late last year, there was an explosion in Koriagi village close to Agaie town at about 1a.m., and was the most devastating in which no fewer than 100 persons were burnt beyond recognition. Besides the loss of lives, 50 cows, rams and sheep and four vehicles were also burnt.
The Federal Road Safety Commission attributed the fatal accident to human factor.
The Sector Commander of Federal Road Safety Commission, FRSC, Kumar Tsukwam, lamented the constant but avoidable multiple accidents of such nature in the state.
Borno and Yobe states: Most federal roads death traps
In Borno and Yobe states, the deplorable condition of federal roads is alarming due to some dangerous, accident-prone spots that continue to claim innocent lives without any serious intervention from the authorities.
Among the most deplorable and calamitous federal highways in Borno is the 185km Maiduguri-Damboa-Biu, with its dangerous spots around the heart of Sambisa forest, between Damboa- Wajirko- Sabongari - Mandaragirau axis.
Others are Maiduguri- Dikwa- Gamboru Ngala, with dangerous spots after Dikwa- Gajibo- Ngala; Maiduguri- Monguno- Kukawa, with dangerous spots around Mairari- Monguno- Kukawa communities and Biu- Garkida- Gombi, which is entirely in bad shape, especially when approaching Dzur- Garkida town.
Likewise, Damboa- Chibok-Mbalala- Askira- Uba, Gombe-Biu, Bama- Banki- Gwoza, Biu- Shani-Numan and Shani- Bargu- Kwaya Kusar roads have since broken down and in dire need of attention, which has not been coming for years but has continued to consume many lives in the process.
In Yobe State, the 120-kilometre Damaturu- Biu- Road has remained a death trap for motorists due to its deplorable condition around Buni Gari- Kamuya- Buratai- Miringa communities. The same applies to the Potiskum- Jakusco- Gashua, Buni Gari- Bularafa roads and host of others.
In Borno State, for instance, the 180km Maiduguri- Damboa- Biu- Road has remained closed for many years due to incessant attacks on motorists by terrorists, a situation aided by its deplorable condition. It is only the Maiduguri-Damaturu-Biu road, which is about 250kms, that is accessible.
The road has remained in poor condition because since it was first built in the early 1970s, no maintenance or rehabilitation work has been done on it. This is why a case is being made for its total reconstruction to meet the challenge of its present high level traffic.
Although the Yobe State government reconstructed about 80 kilometres of the road up to the border with Borno Sate, the remaining 40 kilometres have remained a death trap to motorists and other road users.
A motorist, who gave his name as Usman Mari, in an interview, described the Biu-Azare-Shaffa- Garkida federal highway linking Gombi Local Government Area of Adamawa State, which was constructed more than 40 years ago, as "a death trap."
Community leaders also expressed concern over the failed portions of the about 30-km Yimirshika- Sakwa- Marama- Kidang rural feeder roads that link two very important federal highways as, according to them, the situation remains terrible due to flooding and lack of proper drainage system.
The 120-km Maiduguri-Gamboru- Ngala-Biu- Gombe and the 150-km Biu-Numan highway and host of other federal roads are all in terrible conditions.
Speaking to Vanguard, the chairman, Road Transport Employers Association in Nigeria, RTEAN, Alhaji Bunu, and Secretary of National Union of Road Transport Workers, NURTW, Ahmadu Musa, lamented the deplorable condition of federal roads in the state.
Adamawa: A state of failed federal roads
Adamawa State, which shares border with three of the six states in the North-East and has international boundaries with Cameroun and Chad, can best be described as a state of failed federal roads with many dangerous accident spots.
Although the state has no fewer than 12 federal highways criss-crossing its domain, the said roads are, however, in deplorable state and have become major accident scenes and deaths.
The roads include Yola- Gombi- Hong-Mubi linking Nigeria with Cameroun.
The other is the Gombi-Garkida-Biu in Borno, which goes to Yola and from Numan to Gombe. Others are: Nunan to Jalingo , Yola-Mayo Belwa to Zing; Yola-Furore to Gurin terminating in Cameroun as well as the road linking Jada to Ganye Toungo and the Cameroun borders.
The rest are the Yola to Fufore to Gurin and terminating in Cameroun.
The worst of these roads is the Yola to Mubi, whose contract has been awarded for its construction more than 10 times to different companies by successive administrations.
The first contract for the construction of the Yola to Mubi road was awarded in 1997 by the defunt Petroleum Trust Fund, PTF, but it has remained a nightmare, despite series of interventions by the Federal Roads Maintenance Agency, FEMA.
Lamentations in the South-West
In Ondo State, federal roads are in deplorable condition as motorists and commuters plying major highways in the state have been lamenting the condition of the roads. One of the most deplorable roads in the state is the Akure/Ado-Ekiti highway.
"It is one of the federal roads linking the state and Ekiti State. The less than 40 kilometres road has become almost impassable and also a deathtrap," a motorist told Vanguard.
Although the Federal Government has awarded and re-warded contracts for the reconstruction of the road to different contractors, the pace of work since the assumption of office of President Bola Tinubu has been slow.
In fact, the road which used to be one of the best routes in the South-West, and the shortest route to Ekiti State from the Ondo State capital, Akure, has turned a nightmare for motorists.
This development has affected the economic activities of many of the communities and villages along the route, but it appears the relevant authorities are not showing enough concern.
A resident, Ayo Adebanjo, said: "It is on record that killings, kidnappings, robbery, rape and terrible motor accidents have become uncontrollable on the Akure-Ado Ekiti road."
Others lamented that governments, at all levels, were not serious about the rehabilitation of the Akure-Ado-Ekiti road and not moved by the plight of users
Other terrible highways in the state include Owo/ Benin road, Owo/ lkare road, Arigidi/ lbaramu/ lkaramu/ Ajowa highway, Arigidi/ Oke Agbe/ Omuo road, Akure/ Ondo / Ore highway, Ore/ lgbokoda highway, lgbokoda / Akinfosile road and Ore/ Lagos highway.
A motorists, Alade Olufemi, said: "I pass through this horrible experience everyday of the week because I work in Ado Ekiti. The fear of being kidnapped is another issue. How much would it cost them to help us fix the road? The most annoying aspect of it is that policemen are there collecting bribes from commercial drivers at every point of the road."
Speaking with Vanguard, the Commander of FRSC in the state, Samuel lbitoye, said in 2023, a total of 180 persons died in 384 road crashes, adding that in 2024, 170 persons were killed in 329 road accidents along the highways.
He did not stop there, saying 50 persons died in four road accidents between December last year and February 2025.
Federal roads of hell and anguish in Ekiti
The neglect and state of disrepair of most of the federal roads in Ekiti State has been a source of great concern among residents of the state for some time. Aside fromk the Akure-Ado road, which is currently receiving attention, other roads are in complete state of neglect.
They include the Igede-Aramoko-Ilesa-Lagos Road, which is the gateway to Ado-Ekiti, the state capital; the Ado-Ikole-Omuo-Abuja Road which connects the state with the Federal Capital territory, Abuja and the Ado-Ekiti-Ijan-Imesi-Ile-Ikare Road that connect Ekiti with the neighbouring Ondo State.
Appeals for repairs of these road have become a yearly ritual and it appeared as though the Federal Government has abandoned these roads and the commuters playing them have become regular victims of kidnappers and bandits.
The roads, which are barely passable during the dry season, are almost impassable during the rainy season, turning travel into an arduous task, similar to the proverbial cattle passing through the eye of the needle.
Speaking with Vanguard, a motorist plying Igede-Aramoko-Lagos road, Samuel Ijaola, lamented the deplorable state of the road, saying it took over six hours to reach Lagos State, against the designated four hours.
He added that the poor condition of the road has caused a lot of damage to his vehicle, forcing him to spend his earnings on repairs and maintenance. "If you pass through the Ado-Aramoko-Lagos road, it's like going through hell. Instead of spending four hours on the road, you end up spending six hours or even more. That's not all; I spend most of my earnings from this job on vehicle maintenance. The damage it causes is unbearable," he lamented.
The acting Public Relation Officer, Federal Road Safety Commission, FRSC, in the state, Nkechi Obinna, in a chat with Vanguard, said the figure for road crashes in 2023 was 103, while 81 was recorded in 2024.
Federal lawmakers, monarchs decry poor state of federal roads in Oyo
Findings revealed that the most dangerous expressway in Oyo State is the Ibadan-Ikire-Ile-Ife road where there are so many dangerous spots which cause frequent accidents that lead to loss of lives.
Starting from Asejire Dam, the road is in such a state of disrepair that motorists in a bid to avoid some terribly bad portions of the road drive against traffic. This has often led to many tragic accidents.
Most times, officials of the Federal Road Safety Corps and policemen stay at dangerous spots to warn speeding vehicles to slow down.
Mr. Luqman Salawu, a resident of Ayedaade area of Ikire, told Vanguard that the most terrible part of the road is around the flyover area which appears to have defied solutions.
"They have done this particular spot several times and still the road is not motorable. During rainy season, the whole road is flooded and this forces motorists to abandon the bad portions and use alternative roads within the town to link the expressway at the junction of Osun State University, Ikire,'' he said.
Members of the House of Representatives from Oyo State and other stakeholders, have expressed worries over what they described as deplorable state of roads in parts of the state, calling on the federal ministry of works and the contractors handling ongoing projects in the state to ensure speedy completion.
Also, community leaders, including the Baale of Adegbayi, Chief Onaolapo Adegbayi, pleaded with the Federal Government to fix the roads.
The Sector Commander of the FRSC, in Oyo State, Mrs. Rosemary Alo, said in 2024, Oyo State recorded a total of 304 road crashes, resulting in 222 fatalities and 779 injuries.
Death-traps everywhere on federal roads in Osun State
ln Osun State, the major highway that links about three states, the Ikire-Ife-Ilesa expressway, has become a death trap, as it has claimed many lives at the different sections, including Ikire Gbongan section and Ife-Ilesa section, for many years.
Only recently, South-West traditional rulers alerted the federal government to the danger the road has constituted to the well-being of motorists.
Many road users also lamented the state of the road, which has turned 30 minutes journey into hours due to its poor state.
Many parts of the Ife-Ilesa section have failed completely, thus aiding insecurity, as men of the underworld take advantage of the situation to attack motorists.
One of such attacks recently involved travellers in two vehicles. While a woman travelling with her sick husband was raped on the highway, a driver was shot dead.
Federal roads of frequent road crashes in S-East
Accidents on federal roads with the attendant colossal loss of lives have over the years become common occurrences in the South-East.
Two main issues readily come to mind as the main causes, deplorable state of the roads and slow pace in road construction by contractors.
For example, Ogbor Hill-Ikot Ekpene road in Aba has remained one of the most notorious crash-prone roads in Abia State. The deplorable condition of the single-lane federal highway linking Akwa Ibom with Aba, accounts for most of the tragic crashes in the state.
For instance, in November 2024, tragedy struck on the road when a 40-foot container fell and landed on vehicles, trapping many occupants. No fewer than four persons were reported dead on the spot, while scores of others were critically injured.
A similar incident on the road happened about a year earlier, it also claimed many lives, forcing Abia State government to relocate the Slaughter and Ahia Udele market along that road to a new location.
Apart from efforts by Abia State government to fix some of the failed portions of the road, the federal government has, for decades, completely abandoned the road.
Road crashes also occasionally occur at various sections of Enugu-Port Harcourt express way, claiming lives.
Another road which has recorded occasional road crashes, is the Umuahia-Ikot Ekpene federal road connecting Umuahia with Akwa Ibom.
The 51-kilometre highway has also remained a nightmare to passengers and motorists plying the route. Some students of Michael Okpara University of Agriculture, Umudike, located on that axis, were at different times killed in auto crashes on the road. During one such accident, a final year student of the university was crushed by a trailer.
Although rehabilitation work is also ongoing on the road since nine years ago, it has been very slow and large portions of the highway on the Abia side have remained in a very bad shape.
In Enugu, the slow pace of work in the ongoing reconstruction of the Onitsha-Awka-Enugu road being executed by a telecommunication company, has caused a lot of harm to road users.
Accidents are frequently recorded on this road, particularly along the Ùgwù Onyeama axis. The recent tanker explosion that took the lives of over 15 persons was due to the uncompleted road which has forced motorist to use a single lane.
Also, the 9th Mile-Nsukka-Markudi road, which is in a very bad state, has caused frequent road crashes, some resulting in loss of lives.
In Anambra State, with the repair of Onitsha-Awka road, the state could be said to be blessed with good network of roads, so the accidents on the roads in the state are caused by recklessness and over-speeding by some drivers.
In Ebonyi State, some of the bad roads include Amasiri-Oso Eda road, Abakaliki-Afikpo expressway; Afikpo-Okigwe road; Abakaliki-Enugu expressway, where some portions of the roads are dilapidated and impassable.
Some of the bad portions of the roads on Abakaliki-Enugu road are very noticeable around Ezzangbo axis of the road, while some portions of Abakaliki-Afikpo expressway are also bad.
A few weeks ago, women of Ntsuruakpa Izhia community in Ohaukwu Local Government Area of the state blocked the expressway, protesting the abandonment of Ezzangbo axis of the expressway.
The women alleged that the abandoned section of the road always caused accidents, especially the recent one that claimed the life a pregnant woman in the community.
Leader of the protesting women, Mrs. Blessing Okweshi, lamented the number of accident caused by the deplorable portion of the expressway and appealed to the federal ministry of works to rescue the natives by moving to the site to complete the road and stop incessant road crashes.
"The worst among the deadly accidents that occurred on this road was the recent one that took the lives of a pregnant mother with her unborn baby and a man on the spot.
''The woman, Chika Unah, a mother of three, was killed on the abandoned road by a lorry driver who ran away without reporting to any police station to date.
"Many lives have been lost along this Abakaliki-Enugu highway, and you can see potholes dotting the roads, with heaps of sand along its stretch without road signs since 2024 till date," Mrs Okweshi said.
The traditional ruler of Ntsuruakpa Izhia community, HRH Eze Joseph Okafor, while speaking on the abandoned road, blamed the contractor handling the project and called for urgent action to avert further accidents and deaths.
FG doing its best to fix road infrastructure - Umahi
However, the Minister of Work, Senator Dave Umahi, had said severally that the Federal Government was doing its best to fix federal highways across the country, lamenting that the present government inheited too many bad roads from that of former President Buhari.
According to him, the President Tinubu's administration inherited 38 uncompleted road projects worth N979billion from the Buhari's government.
Recall that at the Federal Executive Council, FEC, had approved the rescopng of old highways and new roads at the cost of N1.8trillion.
Umahi, who disclosed this after a recent meeting said FEC approved the rescoping of a project that is within Ondo and Ekiti states and approved that fund available be used to do 15km of the 18.438km dualised, adding that the Akure-Ado-Ekiti dualisation would now cost N19.407 billion for the trimmed 15-kilometre stretch.
He noted that similar variations have reduced the Sokoto-Zamfara-Katsina-Kaduna corridor to 82.4 kilometres plus six bridges for the same N105billion originally budgeted.
He said these were part of efforts of the Tinubu administration to fix federal highways across the country.
(Vanguard)
Comments