Yola–Gombe highway needs urgent repair

Though road accident is a natural phenomenon, there are certain artificial factors contributing to it occurrence. Such factors include bad road, over-speeding, non-adherence to traffic rules, brake failure, drink driving, distractions, among others.

In Nigeria, 99 percent of road accidents occurs as a result of bad roads. According to Global Status Report on Road Safety, nearly 40,000 people die in a road accident every year in Nigeria due to bad roads, over-speeding and brake failure.

Yola to Gombe road has broken down such that a 10-15 minutes journey takes over an hour. Thus, the road has become a death trap for commuters due to incessant attacks by armed robbers, killing and stealing people’s belongings.

The badness of the road form Savannah to Shelleng is such that passengers alight and trek to allow the car pass and avoid being stucked, flood has washed away the road completely, no loaded vehicle can pass.

Sadly, the contract for the construction of Yola-Gombe highway was awarded since the Obansanjo administration and re-awarded by the Jonathan government, yet nothing has been done.

Consequently, the economic activities of the nation has been affected, people of Savannah, Shalleng are mostly agrarian; they can’t tranport thier goods to the market during the rainy season as result the record huge losses every year.

Finally, i want to appeal to the federal government to re-award the contract again and ensure its completion in order to save lives and ameliorate the suffering of the people.

Ukasha Rabiu Magama,
Toro LGA, Bauchi state
[email protected]