For motorists plying the EiyenKorin/Jebba/Mokwa federal highway in Kwara State, the road has become a death trap and a hell for travellers. Daily Trust correspondent, who recently made a tour of the area, reports.

Over the years, the all-important highway has remained the only access road for northerners travelling southwards and vice-versa, especially those going on business trips. It is the road with a high concentration of articulated vehicles and trucks conveying goods or fuel from Lagos and other states in the south-west to the north. Over 80 per cent of vehicles plying the highway are heavy duty vehicles.

It is also the easiest and most accessible road for travellers from Kwara State going to Jebba , or Mokwa in Niger State, and other states in the north.

However, due to the deteriorating state of the road, travellers from Ilorin have to divert to the alternative road between Share and Babanloma in Ifelodun Local Government. But the alternative road according to commercial drivers shuttling Mokwa and Jebba, is too long to travel along.

This is the alternative they have had to contend with, as the easier route to Jebba and Mokwa along the expressway is in a decrepit state.It is damaged and already worn out with ditches in almost every section of the road. The badly affected portions of the road which is estimated at over 60 kilometers , stretches from Olooru to Bode Saadu ,and Jebba in Moro Local Government Area of Kwara state.

Apart from the articulated vehicles which normally ply the road, despite its present state, many small vehicles especially those on commercial trips, have deserted the area. Motorists around the area told our correspondent that only few cars which ply the road often break down before they get to their destination, due to the poor condition of the highway.

For the motorists, it has been a running battle with armed robbers, who reportedly terrorize them and attack easily since they move slowly, in order to avoid the ditches and potholes which define the road. Apart from motorists who make a living plying the road, residents of nearby villages and communities, say the road has slowed down economic activities in the areas.

Some commercial motorcyclists (Okada riders) who spoke to Daily Trust correspondent at Bode Saadu, headquarters of Moro Local Government, also lamented that the state of the highway constitutes a setback to the community. "The youths here are jobless. Farmers could not easily move their farm produce to places like Ilorin, Jebba and other towns to sell", says an Okada rider, who spoke to Daily Trust correspondent on condition of anonymity.

Commercial drivers at Jebba/Mokwa park at Shao Garage in Ilorin, also share their experience with Daily Trust. Vice-Chairman of the National Union of Road Transport Workers (NURTW), Mokwa-Jebba park, Mr. Dauda Adio Olorunwa ,disclosed that the road became dilapidated during the past 12 years. He said, "Our vehicles have stopped plying the road. We now travel to Jebba and Mokwa through Oke Oyi, which is a long route. But we cannot risk going to Olooru road, despite the fact that it is shorter to get to Jebba ,because of the fear of robbery attacks. Three days ago, some of our vehicles were attacked along the road by armed robbers.They collected phones and money of our passengers.

If the road had been fixed probably we would have avoided the bandits. It was easier for them to rob because of the condition of the road."

He called on the government to intervene in fixing the road, arguing that putting the road in better shape would alleviate their sufferings.

"We even made a suggestion that government should build the road and introduce toll gates. We are ready to pay but we have continued to suffer along the road. So, we appeal to the federal government to do something immediately on this road. This is one of the basic infrastructural needs of the masses, just like water and electricity," the transporter added.

Asked on the alternative road, Olorunwa said, "That road is not bad, but it is a long route to Jebba with a lot of bends and slopes. The rate of accidents there is very high, and if you notice it, trucks have also diverted to the road."

He was corroborated by his counterpart in the Road Transport Employers' Association of Nigeria (RTEAN), Alhaji Saka Kareem. He also appealed to the government to come to their aid in order to boost their income.

One of the drivers, Ayoola Abdulfatah, who had an encounter with armed robbers two days before Daily Trust correspondent visited the park, also narrated his ordeal, describing his experience as "traumatizing."

He said, "We were coming from Kotangora in Niger State, when we suddenly came across the armed bandits on the road. At gunpoint, they ordered us out of the car and we were asked to lie face down while they dispossessed us of our items. They collected my blackberry phone and Nokia as well as all the money I had with me. Also, they collected over N700,000 from my passengers ,who were all Hausa traders going for business."

Abdulfatah who is a University graduate, disclosed that he joined the transport business because he is unemployed , adding, "As a family man, I thought I should not remain idle. So I came to this park, but it has not been easy plying this road. We plead with the federal government to do something urgent on this road."

The Daily Trust correspondent who toured the Olooru-Jebba-Mokwa road, observed many articulated drivers struggling to navigate the road. Some vehicles broke down in the process while others somersaulted. There was also a terrific traffic gridlock in Bode Saadu township, as trucks and heavy duty vehicles blocked the highway.

However, the good news for motorists is that the Federal Government has awarded contract for the total reconstruction of the road from Eiyenkorin to Jebba, estimated at 93.6km according to the State Controller of Works, Federal Ministry of Works, Mr. Omotayo Awosanya. He told Daily Trust in his office that the contract was awarded to CGC Nigeria Limited at a cost of N14.5bn with a completion period of 24 months, adding that work had started on the site.

Daily Trust visited the site to inspect the ongoing work. It was observed that the contractors are already on site, doing concrete work, while the contractors’ camp was built along the area with concrete patching machine, asphalt plant and stone base already installed.

The work, it was gathered, started from Kilometre 31 at Olooru, while they have filled the road with laterite up to kilometre 43 as at the time of filing this report.

Awosanya said, "For security reasons, for efficiency and safety of the workers and road users, when we commence pavement work, we are going to intermittently close the road from 7:00 am to 6pm, and we are going to divert traffic to the old road along Share junction through Olooru , where there is that road safety corps office. And for us to work at a faster pace, we are going to divert traffic to the old road which is through the Share junction, and we are planning to do some maintenance work on this Share road so that it would be in a position to receive the traffic that is going to be diverted to it.That is our plan."