Regular road users and Christmas travellers in Abia State have appealed to the federal highway authorities and the state government to immediately put an end to the obstruction of traffic at Lokpanta, along the Enugu-Port Harcourt expressway.
Lokpanta in Umunneochi Local Government of Abia State is where the Hausa community has a settlement and truck drivers have made the place a hell for travellers by blocking the road with their big trucks which they park at both sides of each of the dual carriageway with reckless abandon.
More painful was that the road which was bad for a long time has been reconstructed on both sides but these drivers mostly northerners have refused to take their vehicles to the two modern parks or depots built for them there.
Presently it takes between two to three hours for one to cross that spot which would ordinarily take less than five minutes if the road was cleared of the trucks parked at both sides of each of the dual carriageway.
Travellers, who spoke at Lokpanta, expressed dismay over what was happening there and wondered why people would be allowed to display such a level of recklessness and non-regard to authorities without being called to order because they were from a particular session of the country.
One of them, Chief Chukwu, who was returning from Abuja with his family said, “This is unacceptable in any responsible society. I am almost spending the same time it took me from Abuja to this place at this point, no movement. Just take a look, how can human beings park vehicles this way both sides leaving just a single line for vehicles. You can see the other lane was blocked, I learnt the road contractors are working on that lane. With this kind of thing, some travellers will definitely sleep here tonight.
“I think the Ministry of Works or the Federal Highway authority should come down here to clear this mess, also the Abia State government should also assist, these people can’t be bigger than the government. We can’t be given this kind of treatment here in our land,” he said.
Mike Dike, a commercial bus driver who said he applies the road daily from Enugu to Okigwe, said the humiliation they face at that side of the road has become unbearable.
“Yesterday, we slept here because the whole place was blocked. A day before I go here from Okigwe at about 5.30 pm but I got to Enugu around 12 pm after spending many hours here; before this road was terribly bad but we are happy that the government has finally reconstructed and it was our thinking that our journey this season will be smooth but see what the Hausa tanker drivers are doing here and nobody is questioning them.
“If you look at both your left and right sides you will see the beautiful park built for them but they have refused to go in there. Police and Army are here they don’t question them, they are even protecting them on this. You can’t talk to those drivers because if do, they will descend on you and nobody will rescue you. Government should please come to our rescue. See how people travelling for Christmas are stranded here. This one is a man-made problem,” he said.
(Daily Sun)
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