Commercial activities and vehicular movement were on Monday grounded for hours, as members of the Truck Drivers Association in Etsako West Local Government Area blocked the Auchi-Jattu Junction of the Auchi-Okpella-Abuja Expressway over the delay in completion of the construction of the road by the Federal Government.
OsunDailyNG reports that the protesters blocked the expressway with their vehicles which halted the free movement of vehicular movement along the Okpella-Okene-Abuja highway.
It was gathered that the protest also halted the movement of vehicles going to Abuja from Benin and other parts of the South-South and South-East geopolitical regions.
The protest organised by a group under the aegis of Concerned Citizen of Edo State was geared towards drawing the attention of the Federal Government to the deplorable state of the roads.
The blockage of the roads resulted to a gridlock which stretched from Auchi to the Agbede axis of the road.
Speaking with newsmen, a protester, who simply identified himself as John, bemoaned the deplorable state of federal roads in the state, especially the Okene-Auchi-Ekpoma-Benin Expressway.
“We are expressing our anger and frustration at the poor condition of the roads, which have made transportation difficult and dangerous for drivers and passengers.
“We hope that the Federal Government will come to our aid and fix the road so that life can become better for us,” he said.
Addressing the protesters, Chairman of Etsako West Local Government, Marvelous Zibiri, decried the level of insincerity, lack of political will and the lack of commitment by the Federal Government concerning the roads.
Zibiri said the deplorable state of the road had caused untold hardship to Nigerians and loss of economic prosperity.
He urged the protesters to remain calm and be law-abiding, and not to take actions that could lead to violence or the destruction of property.
He, however, called on the Federal Government through the Federal Ministry of Works and Housing, to take urgent action to repair federal roads in the state, which he noted are in a state of disrepair and pose serious threat to the safety and well-being of the people.
