By Emma Ogbuehi
Relevant stakeholders in Road Transport sector in Niger have unanimously agreed to support the State government ban on heavy trucks on the Minna-Bida Road to allow for quick completion of the ongoing road construction.
The agreement followed a meeting at the instance of the State government through the Infrastructure Project Monitoring Committee to deliberate on how to reduce the heavy traffic on the road which is noted to have hampered speed of work at the project site.
According to a statement by Mary Noel-Berje, Chief Press Secretary to Niger State Governor, the meeting also agreed to set up a technical committee that will come up with implementation modalities, pointing out that the ban is not to inflict pain on any one but to save lives as well as property. It added that alternative means would be provided for the passage of small vehicles
Acknowledging that the road is the only road currently used by articulated vehicles to connect the Northern and Southern parts of the country, even though state owned road, the Chairman of the Committee said with the portion of the road that is almost giving way, if the situation is left unattended to, the two regions would be cut off from each other.
Hence the State government is re-emphasizing its earlier call on the Federal Government to quickly carry out emergency repairs on Bida-Lapai-Lambata Road and thereafter move to Mokwa-Tegina-Birnin Gwari- Kaduna Road which are trunk A roads so that the heavy duty vehicles can ply the roads.
Speaking on behalf of the stakeholders, Secretary of the Nigerian Association of Road Transport Owners (NARTO), Niger State Chapter, Kabiru Umar, pledged their support on the ban and assured of total compliance by members, saying that the construction is carried out for the interest of all.
Other stakeholders in the meeting were; National Union of Road Transport Workers (NURTW), Petroleum Tankers Drivers’ (PTD), and Independent Petroleum Marketers Association of Nigeria (IPMAN) as well as security agencies.
The technical committee for implementation modalities is to submit it report within one week for further actions.
