- Blocking Bida road by tanker drivers won’t intimidate us – Governor
Niger State Governor Abubakar Sani Bello has directed the State Ministry of Works and Infrastructural Development to, immediately, engage the Federal Controller of Works in the state and find urgent way to rehabilitate some of the failed portions of the Lambata-Agaie-Lapai-Bida road.
The Governor, in a statement by his Chief Press Secretary Mary Noel-Berje, condemned the action of Tanker Drivers who blocked some specific areas in Bida town to protest the continued neglect of the highway linking the Northern and South Western parts of the country.
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“The Drivers of Articulated Vehicles are also asking the state government to allow them use the Minna-Bida road, which is presently been reconstructed by Dantata and Sawoe Company.
“Governor Sani Bello noted that, although the Tanker Drivers have the right to peaceful protest as a group, their action has greatly infringed on the right of other commuters describing it as very unfortunate.
“He stated that the decision of the Tanker Drivers to block access to the road is unlawful adding that such action will not not intimidate the state government into allowing them to use the Minna-Bida road which is a state owned road.
“Governor Sani Bello called for calm amidst untold hardship caused to innocent and law abiding citizens assuring that the state government is liaising with the Federal Controller of Works in the state to urgently repair the failed portions of the road.
“The Governor cautioned the Drivers of Articulated Vehicles to desist from taking laws into their hands and channel their grievances to the appropriate authorities stressing that embracing amicable resolution of the issue is more civil than subjecting or holding other citizens to ransom,” Mary Noel-Berje said.
Earlier, the Niger State Commissioner of Information and Strategy Muhammad Sani Idris said:
“The Niger State Government has so far committed a huge amount of money to the reconstruction of the Minna-Bida road, and the project is being handled by one of the best indigenous construction company to ensure we get the highest possible standard.
“As the reconstruction progresses, however, heavy-duty vehicles who constantly travel the road have been known to reverse recorded progress by damaging the section of the part of the road that’s being fixed.
“The above is what informed the decision by Niger State Government to close the road to heavy-duty vehicles. The tanker drivers in turn responded by taking laws into their hands and blocking Minna-Bida road entirely and Lambata-Lapai-Bida Road making it completely impossible for smaller vehicles to move.
“Governor Abubakar Sani Bello’s administration is determined that the road construction must go on and as such, opening the Minna-Bida road to heavy-duty vehicles is not an option for now for that would destroy everything the government has done, and taxpayers money would be wasted redoing what was already done.
“Nigerlites of goodwill have implored and continue to beg the Federal Government to help not only Nigerlites but the entire country by fixing the trunk A Lambata-Lapai-Bida road and Jenna-Birnin Gwari-Kaduna Road to resolve this issue of heavy-duty vehicles regularly damaging the Minna-Bida road.
“As it stands today, the entire stretch of the entire roads in Niger state are suffering dilapidation because of these heavy-duty vehicles. Only a few months ago these same vehicles destroyed the Minna-Zungeru road, they’ve also destroyed the Bida-Zungeru road and are now looking to destroy the work ongoing on Minna-Bida road. THE STATE GOVERNMENT WILL NOT ALLOW THAT.
“Niger State is the gateway between the north and South West. It hosts the highest stretch of federal roads in the country yet the federal roads in the state have been mostly neglected. The State Government continues to expend limited resources on trunk A roads even when it’s also faced with several challenges that are primarily its duty in the governance of Niger state.
“So, at this point, we have to be honest with ourselves. We have to appeal to the federal government to intervene and complement the state government in building road infrastructure across the state.
“Instead of the government earmarking more money to the rehabilitation of Trunk “A” roads, with a backlog of other responsibilities in the state waiting for intervention, all stakeholders must join hands to appeal to the federal government to understand the conditions of the roads.
“There’s no denying the setbacks brought forth by the deteriorated state of these roads. The state has quite limited resources and so there’s no better time to draw the attention of the federal government to intervene than now.”
