The House of Representatives has asked the Federal Ministry of Works and Housing to declare emergency on the Naka- Makurdi-Aliade-Gboko and Aliade-Otukpo Federal Road Network in Benue State, which link the northern and southern parts of the country.
The House also urged the Ministry to direct the Federal Road Maintenance Agency (FERMA) to immediately commence restorative work on the said roads.
This followed the unanimous adoption of a motion on Wednesday by Hon. Austin Asema Achado, from Benue State, who noted that the Naka-Makurdi-Aliade-Gboko and Aliade-Otukpo Federal Road Network constitute the major road axis linking the North East and the North Central regions of the nation to the South-South and the South- East through Benue State, the agricultural belt of the country.
He said the condition of the federal road network has become an albatross and a huge embarrassment to the farming communities, other strategic users and commuters that transit goods
through Benue State.
The lawmaker expressed concern that the strategic road axis has become so dilapidated that it is now tagged death-trap and security threat to all contiguous citizens that use it for transportation of grains and yams from Benue to the Southern and Northern States of the nation.
According to him, part from reducing those commercial activities as a result of high rate of accidents on the road and loss of man hours, the poor condition has drastically increased activities of criminals, armed robbery and kidnapping, which have become more frequent due to the poor condition of the road.
While atressing that the acute neglect of the road network has been for so long despite the navoc it wrecks on the nation’s food security, he said “an emergency intervention to restore the Naka-Makurdi- Aliade-Gboko and AliadeOtukpo Federal Road Network, has both security and economic implications that should be immediately addressed.
ENDS.