Justina Asishana, Minna
WORKS and Housing Minister, Babatunde Raji Fashola, has given truck parked on Federal highways in Niger State seven days to remove them.
He warned that at the expiration of the ultimatum, any truck driver who does not comply will face the wrath of the law.
Addressing truck drivers at Gawu Babangida in Gurara Local Government Area of the state during the inspection of Federal roads, Fashola ordered the trucks to move from the roads to enable the contractors do their jobs effectively.
“The truck drivers must leave the road. I give you one week to leave; otherwise, I will bring law enforcement agents to move all of you away.
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“We want all truck users and National Union of Road Transport Workers to leave our highways. Let them acquire their own parks and allow the contractors to finish work at a specified time.
“You have to tell all other drivers to leave the highways. You must have a yard to park your vehicles. You need the road to do your business. Therefore, you must allow the contractor to work on the roads.
“If you leave your trucks on the road, there is no way the contractors can finish their job,” he said.
Fashola said the defaulters would be penalised for obstructing Federal highways, if they failed to comply with his ultimatum.
The minister noted that the roads had deteriorated due to heavy vehicular traffic, especially by trucks, adding that the roads also wear off as a result of oil and other substances the trucks discharge in motion.
The development, he said, slows down the work of the contractors.
“Asphalt is being destroyed by the oil truck drivers pour on it on a daily bases, which the contractors must replace before the continuation of work to the next level. This leads to wasting resources that could have fast-tracked the road construction,” Fashola said.
The Managing Director of Salini Nigeria Limited, the contractor handling the Suleja-Minna road, Dr. Piero Capitanio, urged Federal and state governments to assist the company to control the inflow of traffic on the major road.
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