The Motion Sponsor, Rep. Austin Asema Achado, noted that the road is so deplorable and has become a death trap for citizens who ply it for transportation of farm produce from Benue to the Southern and Northern parts of the country.
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The House of Representatives has directed the Federal Ministry of Works and Housing to declare a state of emergency on the Naka-Makurdi-Aliade-Gboko and Aliade-Otukpo federal road network in Benue State, which links 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 is sequel to a motion presented on Wednesday by Rep. Austin Asema Achado (Benue), 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.
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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 a death trap and security threat to all contiguous citizens that use it for the transportation of grains and yams from Benue to the Southern and Northern States of the nation.
According to him, apart from reducing those commercial activities as a result of the 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.
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“Concerned that the acute neglect of the road network has been ignored for so long despite the havoc it wrecks on the nation’s food security, especially at this moment of increasing economic pressure on the rural population, further fueled by the growing cost of transportation, arising from recent fuel subsidy removal, thus making it imperative to urgently address the menace of the NakaMakurdi-Aliade-Gboko and Aliade-Otukpo Federal Road Network.
“Convinced that an emergency intervention to restore the Naka-Makurdi- Aliade-Gboko and Aliade-Otukpo Federal Road Network, has both security and economic implications that should be immediately addressed.”
Adopting the motion, the House urged the Federal Ministry of Works to ensure adequate budgetary provision in the 2024 budget to comprehensively address the deplorable road and mandate the Committee on Works (when constituted) to ensure implementation.
