Residents of Benue State have lamented the decaying situation of Makurdi Aliade Taraku Otukpo road.
In an interview with WikkiTimes, commuters lamented their frustrations as a two and half hour journey turned into four hours.
Oche Inalegwu who was about to leave for Otukpo expressed his fear of plying the road because of its bad state
“In a week, I travel at least twice to Otukpo for my business, anytime my travel is near my mind skips, the road is terrible now, it is frustrating, as the road keeps getting worst,” he said. “I implore the government to do something on that road because the suffering is too much.”
Another committer, Salome Ogbene,25, wrapped her body to prevent her cloth from dust as she was about to travel through the road.
“You can see that I’m covering all my body to avoid dust this will tell you how bad the road has become, as soon as you take off from Makurdi until you get to Otukpo the road keeps getting worst, all we have heard is the road has been awarded we hope that they attend to the road soon,” she said.
John Ada, a driver with a popular transport company in Makurdi expressed disappointment, saying the bad state of the road has caused more damage to his vehicle.
“Every time I travel and come back I must visit the mechanic the stress of travelling the routes is increasing every day the road from Makurdi to Aliade is bad the Aliade to Taraku and Otukpo road is worst.
“The increase of transport fare is not largely because of the fuel price but the bad state of the road also has necessitated the increment,” he said.
Efforts to speak with the officials of Nattional Union of Road Transportation Workers (NURTW) in Makurdi proved abortive. The officials refused to grant interview, saying their chairman is not around.
The federal ministry of works and housing had in 2019 said, “Makurdi-Aliade-Otukpo Road in Benue State has an ongoing contract that involves the dualisation of Otukpo Township Road and rehabilitation of the remaining stretch up to Aliade being executed by M/s Rockbridge Nigeria Limited with 11km completed.”
When WikkiTimes called a contact provided on the ministry’s website, the responder, David Ademiron, said he has no information on the award of the contract. He, however, asked our repengage the ministry officially.
