Biase (Cross River) – Commuters and motorists plying the Calabar-Ikom-Ogoja federal highway have expressed disappointment with the loss of man-hours on the road due to its deplorable condition.
A cross section of the people bared their minds on Friday in separate interviews with the News Agency of Nigeria (NAN) at Akpet Central, Biase Local Government Area.
They spoke against the backdrop of two heavy-duty trucks that fell on a bad portion of the road at Akpet Central which has halted movement of vehicles since Monday.
The travellers, some of whom have passed some nights on the hitch, said that the road had become a nightmare and the worst in the country.
Mallam Shehu Garuba, a driver, told NAN that he had spent two days on the spot, adding that the situation had left him stranded.
“Walahi, this road is too bad,’’ he said.
Another truck driver, Mr Ibeneme Nwanna, conveying goods from Onitsha to Calabar, told NAN that he had spent three days on the spot.
According to him, the situation was taking its toll on him.
“This is my third day in this mess. I ought to have delivered these goods since Wednesday and returned to Onitsha but up till today I am still here.
“I have not taken my bath and nothing reasonable to eat and no money,’’ he said.
A woman, Mrs Caroline Igwe, who was travelling to Enugu with her three children in a commuter bus, said she had decided to return to Calabar after spending a night on the road.
“The risk and the suffering is too much, so, I have called my husband to find vehicle and come and pick us; let us return to Calabar and wait until the road is clear,’’ she said.
Meanwhile, the Director of the Federal Roads Maintenance Agency (FERMA) in the state, Mr Reginald Nwanebu, told NAN that the agency was doing its best to remedy the situation.
“The problem actually is lack funds but we are begging some of our contractors to assist us. We do not even have materials for them to work.
“But we are hopeful that our efforts will work and probably before the end of today something tangible will be achieved,’’ he said.
He further explained that the agency was working in collaboration with the Federal Road Safety Commission (FRSC) to resolve the problem. (NAN)
