A pressure group under the aegis of Middle-Belt Youths Alliance(MYA), arising from their emergency National Executive Council(NEC) meeting, yesterday, in Keffi, Nasarawa state, urged all the presidential candidates contesting the forth-coming 2019 polls to place priority on the dualization of the Abuja-Keffi road as a major campaign point or risk support from the region.
In a communiqué signed by the convener, Auta Mohammed and made available to Blueprint, the group bemoan the state of the road which they said, has caused untold agony to the people of the region for long, with successive governments only paying lips service to the perennial problem.
“This baffles us as a people and in this meeting, we exhaustively deliberated on this subject matter and have decided to bring it to the court of the public opinion. How can we continue to suffer as if no one is watching what is happening on this highway?
“It is disheartening to note that, this Abuja-Keffi road is the gate way to the nation’s capital; the past presidents , the incumbent one,ministers,National Assembly members and governors, particularly those in the region do ply the road almost on weekly basis, yet, they find no reason to ensure that something is done on this road.
“What we are saying categorically is that, enough is enough of this cock and bull stories from our leaders; let them face us and address critical issues like this road that affects the generality of workers in the FCT and other travelers across the country; people waste many hours in traffic jam and we experience some avoidable mishaps due to the road’s nature.
“In other climes, something would have been done on this road long ago, considering the sensitivity of the road to the Federal Capital Territory (FCT); but some governors in the region and senators would use their helicopters to fly where they want, while the plight of the common man is forgotten but this time, we have thrown a challenge to them”, the group stated.
According to the communiqué, all the stories told about the dualization of the road went into limbo even as the masses have lost hope about the possibility of government hearkening to their yearnings and plight.
They urged voters to in the region and all those residing on the Abuja-Keffi road axis to rise to the occasion by interrogating thoroughly, those coming to canvass for their votes on the thresh hold of the 2019 general elections, their plans concerning the road.
