Mr. Babatunde Fashola, inspecting the Keffi-Markurdi road on Tuesday, 21st September, 2021.
• Warns against parking of heavy duty trucks on highways
Arinze Chetuni, Lafia
The Minister of Works and Housing, Mr. Babatunde Fashola, has inspected ongoing dualisation of 221km Keffi-Markurdi road and other federal projects sited in Nasarawa State.
During the one day working visit to Nasarawa State,Mr. Fashola, warned owners of heavy duty trucks against parking indiscriminately on federal roads across the country to avoid crashes that could lead to loss of lives.
He frowned at the non-chalant attitude of drivers of heavy duty trucks in Nasarawa Eggon community who always park on the highway, saying it could lead to the loss of lives of Nigerians plying the road.
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“We would have to keep an eye on the emerging trailer parks on our highways. While coming into town, we saw some trailers parked on the highway around Nasarawa Eggon and if we allow it to continue this way, it may turn into a nuisance to other road users because no one knows the impact of diesel, gas and other lubrications”, the Minister said.
On the issue of compensation to owners of lands around the ongoing 221km dualization of the Keffi-Makurdi road, the Minister disclosed that the federal government was working in collaboration with the Nasarawa and Benue state governments to indentify the actual beneficiaries in order to avoid being highjacked by middle men.
He also disclosed that the federal government has given approval to the Nasarawa state government to dualise the Lafia-Shendam road, noting that it would go a long way to tackle the level of insecurity that had been bedeviling residents of the area.
Fashola while commending the company handling the road project, China Harbour Engineering Company Ltd, for the efforts made so far, urged them for the speedy completion of the project and for them to deliver according to specification.
The Project Manager, China Harbour Engineering Company Ltd, Li Qaing Qieng, said that the work since it began, has recorded steady progress, assuring the federal government that the company will deliver according to specification.
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Our Correspondent reports that apart from inspecting the ongoing dualization of the 221km Keffi-Makurdi road, the Minister also inspected the 1,500 federal housing units in Akurba and the ongoing construction of the Federal Secretariat in Lafia.
Earlier, Governor Abdullahi Sule welcomed the Minister to Nasarawa state and thanked the President, Major Gen. Muhammadu Buhari (Rtd) for giving the approval to the state government to dualise the Lafia-Shendam road.
He, however, appealed to the FG to complete the Gitata-Panda-Guruku federal road in order to reduce the burden of heavy traffic on the road.
“I am appealing to the federal government to help the state to complete the Gitata-Panda-Guruku road which was originally a state road but now taken over by the FG. The road if completed would ease the heavy traffic being experienced by motorists in Maitama area of the FCT”, he said.
