FRSC Blames Impatient Motorists For Lokoja-Abuja Road Prolonged Gridlock
The Federal Road Safety Corps (FRSC) has expressed frustration over the non-cooperation of motorists with traffic officials on the Lokoja-Abuja highway, where gridlock has persisted for days.
Mr Kumar Tsukwam, the FRSC Sector Commander in Kogi, said the traffic jam, which began on Sunday, has been worsened by motorists’ impatience and breakdown of vehicles along the single-lane section of the road under construction.
“The situation is sad and very unfortunate considering the time motorists and commuters spend before crossing the gridlock to continue with their journey,” Tsukwam said.
According to him, the gridlock stretches from Ogbobo/Ozi to Murtala Mohammed Bridge at Koton-Karfe in Kogi State. He noted that while officials have been on ground since Sunday to ease the situation, drivers’ lack of patience often blocks opposing lanes, thereby compounding the crisis.
“I think motorists are to be blamed for their display of impatience and blocking their colleagues coming from the opposite direction. We are trying our best to clear the road to ensure easy passage for travellers,” the sector commander added.
Some road users recounted their ordeals. Mohammed Yusuf, a commercial driver, said he spent nine hours on the road before reaching Lokoja from Abuja.
“I had passengers from Abuja traveling to Lokoja. I left Abuja some minutes to 3:00 p.m. on Sunday, but could only reach Lokoja by midnight. I’m here at Natako park this Monday morning hoping the gridlock might have reduced,” Yusuf said.
He lamented the financial strain, noting that motorists were forced to burn fuel in traffic despite soaring fuel prices.
Similarly, commuter Christopher Adamu said he spent the entire night in the standstill after leaving Abuja on Sunday evening. He called on the authorities to take drastic action to restore free flow of traffic.
“From the Murtala Mohammed Bridge to Koton-Karfe, the right lane was blocked,” he said.
The traffic congestion has been aggravated by ongoing construction works on the Lokoja-Abuja road, particularly on the Koton-Karfe to Abaji stretch being handled by a construction company.
FRSC Blames Impatient Motorists For Lokoja-Abuja Road Prolonged Gridlock is first published on The Whistler Newspaper
