Governor Usman Ododo of Kogi State has assured that the gridlock that paralyzed the Nataco-Banda axis of the Lokoja-Abuja highway in April will be the last of its kind, pledging decisive action to end years of hardship for motorists and businesses.
Ododo gave this assurance while speaking during a scheduled visit to the leadership of the Kogi State Chamber of Commerce, Industry, Mines and Agriculture, KOCCIMA, at the Chamber’s Secretariat in Lokoja.
The governor who was represented by the Special Adviser on Federal Projects Implementation, Emmanuel Obasi, explained
that the human cost of the gridlock, especially during festive periods, has been noted and brought under control.
Ododo noted his administration’s intervention has drawn direct attention from President Bola Ahmed Tinubu, with the Lokoja-Abuja road now elevated to a priority project at the Federal level.
“Aside from funding, which remains the only constraint, every other measure has been put in place to ensure Nigerians, especially Kogi citizens and businesses, no longer suffer the untold hardship caused by the road,” Chief Obasi stated.
He noted the President’s intervention led to the unbundling of the contract to six reputable construction firms, a departure from the past when Gitto Construction Company handled the entire stretch alone. The unbundling, he said, is already accelerating progress on site.
He acknowledged that the gridlock inflicted unquantifiable losses not only on businesses but on the broader socio-economic fabric of the nation.
He stressed that the Lokoja-Abuja corridor is too strategic to be left in decay and assured that before year-end, the most critical bad sections would be made motorable.
“All things being equal, with the president’s intervention through the minister of works, which even prompted the minister’s site visit to the state this week following Governor Ododo’s outcry, the Lokoja-Abuja road will be made motorable before the end of this year,” he said.
KOCCIMA President, Akerejola Damiloye, welcomed the governor’s intervention and described him as a leader who listens. He pledged the private sector’s support for the administration and urged urgent action to resuscitate the Ajaokuta Steel Company.
Damiloye submitted a 16-point position paper on reviving the steel plant, describing it as key to making Nigeria a technological hub and creating massive employment.
KOCCIMA Deputy President 1, Raja Suleiman, also appealed for the state government’s support to complete the abandoned Trailer Transit Camp in Banda, the Sea Link project to decongest the highways, and the non-operational Domestic Export Warehouse at Felele.
He argued that posting inspectors to the warehouse would boost revenue, create jobs, and cut transportation costs for exporters.
Former KOCCIMA presidents, Chief Joe Elebiyo, Mr. Victor Abdul, and a legal practitioner Julius Elukpo, commended the special adviser’s direct engagement with the business community, saying sustained dialogue would help reopen businesses and restore confidence in Kogi’s economy.
With federal priority secured, six contractors mobilized, and state-level advocacy intensifying, the decades-long Lokoja-Abuja road nightmare appears to be entering its final chapter.
Ibrahim Oyewale
