By Princess Simon (Bureau Chief North Central, in Lagos)
Fear and apprehension have gripped communities along the Bida-Minna road and Minna-Abuja roads at Izom as protesting Tanker and Trailer drivers block all link routes to Abuja through Niger state over the deplorable condition of roads.
The protesters who used their vehicles to block the only major road linking Abuja through Niger state and western part of Nigeria through the same Niger state insisted that they will not suspend the protest until the Niger state government re-opens the Bida-Minna road.
NIGERIAN NEWS-LEADER findings indicate that, already, vehicular movements stopped before entry into Bida town from Mokwa axis and the drivers threatened to deal with whoever that dares to challenge them without prevailing on the Governor Abubakar Sani Bello led administration to allow access through the roads.
The trailer and tanker drivers, including some with fuel and other petroleum products, it was gathered, attributed their angst to the ‘insensitivity’ of the government who blocked the Minna-Bida roads for about six months now.
The only alternative route to Abuja to connect the north through the west, according to the aggrieved drivers, is the Bida-Lapai-Lambata roads which they lamented has become a nightmare as they could spend days through the route before getting to their destinations.
Meanwhile, communities along the routes has expressed fears of a possible fire disaster from the long stretch of petrol tankers and other articulated vehicles along the routes and therefore calls for the urgent intervention by the relevant government agencies.
While not taking sides with either the drivers or the state government, some members of the communities had lamented what they termed, ‘disaster waiting to happen’ should any of the trucks laden with inflammable Petroleum products spark off light near the hundreds of tankers stranded along the routes.
Mohammed Sode, a resident of Bida who confirmed the blockade of the routes and its implications on the ancient town, said the trend did not affect only trailer and tanker drivers but has brought vehicular movements in and out of the area to a halt.
“The entire link roads into and exit from Bida including; Gbazhi area before Etsu Nupe’s palace, Esso, Siriku junction were all blocked, even some intra-city routes have become completely inaccessible to motorists. NNL.
