Commercial divers and other road users have called on the federal government to expedite the reconstruction of the Sokoto-Gusau-Funtua road to ease end-of-year vehicular movements.

In separate interviews, some residents lamented the slow pace of the project despite being handled by three different companies.

A commercial driver, Mu’assimu Auwal, commended the federal government for the project, recalling that when work began, drivers plying the road jubilated over its poor condition.

Mr Auwal said that due to the poor condition of the road, commercial drivers suffered losses, increased vehicle repairs, tyre busts and other associated challenges.

He explained that previously drivers spent only two hours to reach Gusau from Sokoto, “however, presently, they spend more than four hours, a situation that increases fuel consumption and unnecessary delays”.

Yusha’u Adamu, another road user, decried the slow pace of the road project, noting that the poor condition of the road had led to a series of accidents.

Mr Auwal added that the situation had also increased the rate of kidnappings, because hoodlums take advantage of the bad roads to commit crimes. He revealed that many casualties have been recorded due to poor road conditions, despite security checkpoints along the route.

The secretary of the Nigerian Union of Road Transport Workers in the state, Muhammad Labaran, described the road as horrible and urged the government to step up efforts to ensure speedy completion to secure lives from accidents and hoodlums’ attacks.

Mr Labaran, however, lauded the federal government for putting the Sokoto-Yauri and Sokoto-Illela roads in good condition, while appealing to the government to, as a matter of urgency, hasten work on the Sokoto-Gusau road.

Maigwandu Kassimu, the federal controller of Works in Sokoto, however, argued that the Sokoto-Gusau-Zaria road was moving smoothly as expected, saying that the contractor had been instructed to conduct palliative maintenance on the road to make it more habitable for users.

Mr Kassimu assured that before the Christmas period, the contractor would complete the work from Sokoto metropolis to Dange town in Dange Shuni LGA of Sokoto.

While recalling that the road dualisation contract was awarded on May 31, 2023, with a total completion period of 36 months, the federal controller said that so far, the contractors had covered 13 kilometres with concrete rigid pavements.

According to him, the contractors have the materials and tools and urged communities and road users to cooperate with the workers to facilitate the rapid completion of the project.

Mr Kassimu noted with satisfaction that repairs on the Sokoto-Birnin-Kebbi, Sokoto-Jega-Yauri, and Sokoto-Illela roads were carried out between 2023 and 2024, adding that all the routes were now motorable. He expressed optimism that yuletide activities would be hitch-free as no major traffic concerns were being envisaged on the roads.

Federal Road Safety Corps sector commander in the state, Maikano Hassan, said the commission had launched a statewide campaign against dangerous driving and safer roads ahead of the Yuletide period in Sokoto.

Mr Maikano said that the FRSC had evolved effective strategies to drive its campaign on the importance of responsible driving because “crashes kill more passengers than drivers”.

The commander advised commuters to avoid speeding, overloading, unsafe tyres, drunk driving, using a phone while driving, distractions, and other unsafe driving behaviours, among other offences.

He expressed the command’s readiness to strengthen road safety through a series of engagements with stakeholders and security agencies. 

(NAN)