Ododo assures speedy completion of Lokoja- Abuja highway.
ATABOR JULIUS LOKOJA
Kogi State Governor, Usman Ahmed Ododo, has assured that the persistent gridlock along the Nataco-Banda axis of the Lokoja-Abuja highway will be solved permanently with the completion of the project.
The assurance was delivered by his Special Adviser on Federal Projects Implementation, Chief Obasi Emmanuel I. Obasi, JP, during a scheduled visit to the leadership of the Kogi State Chamber of Commerce, Industry, Mines and Agriculture, KOCCIMA, at the Chamber’s Secretariat on Friday in Lokoja.
Chief Obasi said the Governor reiterated that the human cost of the gridlock, especially during festive periods, has been noted and brought under control.
He disclosed that Governor Ododo’s intervention has drawn direct attention from President Bola Ahmed Tinubu, with the Lokoja-Abuja road now elevated to a priority project at the Federal level.
“Aside from funding, which remains the only constraint, every other measure has been put in place to ensure Nigerians, especially Kogi citizens and businesses, no longer suffer the untold hardship caused by the road,” Chief Obasi stated.
He noted that the President’s intervention led to the unbundling of the contract to six reputable construction firms, a departure from the past when Gitto Construction Company handled the entire stretch alone as the unbundling, he said, is already accelerating progress on site.
Extending sympathies to KOCCIMA, the Special Adviser acknowledged that the gridlock inflicted unquantifiable losses not only on businesses but on the broader socio-economic fabric of the nation. He stressed that the Lokoja-Abuja corridor is too strategic to be left in decay and assured that before year-end, the most critical bad sections would be made motorable.
“All things being equal, with the President’s intervention through the Minister of Works, which even prompted the Minister’s site visit to the State this week following Governor Ododo’s outcry, the Lokoja-Abuja road will be made motorable before the end of this year,” he said.
KOCCIMA President, Dr. Akerejola Damiloye, welcomed the governor’s intervention and described him as a leader who listens. He pledged the private sector’s support for the administration and urged urgent action to resuscitate the Ajaokuta Steel Company.
Dr. Damiloye submitted a 16-point position paper on reviving the steel plant, describing it as key to making Nigeria a technological hub and creating massive employment.
KOCCIMA Deputy President 1, Rajaun Suleiman, also appealed for the State Government support to complete the abandoned Trailer Transit Camp in Banda, the Sea Link project to decongest the highways, and the non-operational Domestic Export Warehouse at Felele. He argued that posting inspectors to the warehouse would boost revenue, create jobs, and cut transportation costs for exporters.
Former KOCCIMA Presidents Chief Joe Elebiyo, Mr. Victor Abdul, and Barr. Julius Elukpo commended the Special Adviser’s direct engagement with the business community, saying sustained dialogue would help reopen businesses and restore confidence in Kogi’s economy.
With Federal priority secured, six contractors mobilized, and state-level advocacy intensifying, the decades-long Lokoja-Abuja road nightmare appears to be entering its final chapter.
