The Kogi State Government has convened a stakeholders’ meeting in partnership with Federal Road Safety Corps to discuss ways of reducing road fatalities and ensuring smooth movement of motorists during the ember months and festive season.
The meeting, convened by the Special Adviser to the Governor on Road Safety Matters, Hon. Suberu Yusuf, was held at the Government House, Lokoja.
It followed an earlier inspection of the Lokoja-Abuja Expressway by the Special Adviser and focused on measures to prevent crashes, ease traffic and address challenges arising from increased vehicular movement during the festive period.
Speaking at the meeting, Suberu said the government was working to ensure that motorists and travellers moved freely without being stranded on major highways.
He said the state government would strengthen regulation of articulated vehicles and set up a joint task force to enforce traffic rules.
He disclosed that a mobile court would be deployed to handle violations of traffic rules, stressing that the state would not tolerate actions capable of putting lives and property at risk.
Suberu also said Governor Ododo had directed relevant authorities to ensure free flow of traffic, while the media would be engaged to further enlighten motorists and other road users.
He said Kogi’s strategic location, linking several states and the Federal Capital Territory, made effective road safety and traffic management particularly important during the festive period.
Also speaking, the Sector Commander, Corridor 3, Federal Road Safety Corps, Abraham Daniel, identified impatience among drivers and disregard for traffic rules as major causes of gridlock along the corridor.
Daniel urged motorists to obey traffic officials and exercise patience, particularly around construction sites and other areas where movement could be restricted.
He said the FRSC would intensify public enlightenment through radio, television, motor parks and markets, as well as direct engagement with drivers before enforcement of the lawss
Daniel also said some faulty vehicles could be towed, while badly damaged articulated vehicles might require cranes or other specialised equipment.
He attributed traffic problems along the Lokoja-Okene axis to environmental, human and mechanical factors, noting that construction work could also affect movement when drainage and access areas were not properly managed.
The Special Adviser to the Governor on Federal Project Implementation, Hon. Emmanuel Obasi, called for closer cooperation among relevant agencies during the festive period.
Obasi said federal highways usually experience heavy traffic because of their importance to interstate movement.
He urged contractors to keep construction areas accessible and called for alternative arrangements where stalled projects or heavy equipment obstruct traffic are kept away.
He also advised commercial operators moving several vehicles to schedule their movements in batches rather than putting them on the road at the same time.
Meanwhile, a representative of Trucret Limited Solutions, Rizzo Francesco, said the Koton-Gegu stretch of the Lokoja-Abuja Road had been opened to traffic after the necessary safety, drainage and environmental requirements were addressed.
He assured motorists that the completed section would remain accessible during the festive period, while work would continue towards completing the project by the end of the year.
Earlier, the Secretary of the Kogi State Road Safety Council, Engr. Ahmed Dauda, said the council was established to provide a coordinated approach to road safety and traffic management.
Dauda commended Governor Ahmed Usman Ododo for strengthening road safety coordination through the office of the Special Adviser on Road Safety Matters.
He said the council had held several meetings and reached resolutions on recurring traffic challenges, urging stakeholders to sustain the collaboration.
Other stakeholders called for better coordination among security agencies, transport unions, contractors and road users to reduce disruptions during the festive period.
They also stressed the need for prompt removal of broken-down vehicles, proper management of construction areas, public enlightenment and compliance with traffic rules.
The meeting was attended by representatives of the Nigeria Police Force, Nigerian Army, Nigerian Correctional Service, NDLEA, NSCDC, VIO, Federal Medical Centre, SEMA, Dangote Cement, NURTW, construction companies, academic institutions, automobile technicians, vulcanisers and other stakeholders.
