EXECUTIVE LAWLESSNESS ON THE ROAD TO AIRPORT

For residents and users of the road to the Nnamdi Azikiwe International Airport, Abuja, the news that the road was going to be expanded was cheering though many doubted that it was going to be done. As a road that leads into and out of the capital city, there is no doubt that the road needs to be expanded. The siren that blares continually on the road announcing the convoy of Mr. President, a governor, one important government functionary or the other and the number of road mishaps all point to the fact that the road needs to be expanded.

At least, if the road is expanded, the convoys of very important persons will stop terrifying other users who sometimes panic while trying to manoeuvre and give way for the speeding VIPs If the additional lanes are provided, maybe one lane will be dedicated to these ‘more important’ residents and visitors who have important state matters to attend to. John Amadi whose side mirror was once shattered with the butt of a gun by a security agent in the convoy of a VIP could not wait for government to fulfil its promise to expand the road. Very soon, he reasoned, there would be little or no contact on road between the VIPs and ordinary road users. So, the possibility of having windscreen or mirror broken by zealous guards will be reduced if not completely eliminated.

It was joy, therefore, when at the dawn of 2009, the company that built the city of Abuja – Julius Berger – mobilised to site to begin the remaking and the expansion of the airport road. It was even more joy for many to hear that the road would now be 10 lanes, five on each side. That will give a ‘great nation‘ view to visitors who are coming into the country for the first time, especially with the shanties on the road now removed. However, the beginning of the road construction came with mixed feelings as it started with the felling of the trees that had made the road beautiful. Some lovers of nature wondered why the beautiful trees were being fell for additional roads that were not absolutely needed. Authorities gave assurances that a committee had been set up for the replacement of the trees as soon as the reconstruction was completed. They also countered the argument - saying that the planting of the trees was wrong in the first place since the Abuja Master Plan provided for 10 lanes on the airport road.

Who makes an omelette without breaking the egg? The debate, nonetheless, was a mere intellectual exercise as a good number of residents joined in felling the trees when they learnt that you take what you felled. With the swiftness of an eagle, the job was done. It was as if another national cake was being shared and everybody hurried to cut their own portion. Julius Berger must have been happy that a little percentage of their cost had been borne in this public-private- partnership model (That is the new fad in town).
As the proper reconstruction began, the joy of a historic 10-lane road began to varnish as it was replaced with the agonies of traffic jams in a proportion that had never been experienced on the road. Some residents began to learn the trick of beating traffic jams. Who else would they learn from apart from their brethren that live on the Kubwa Road (whose fate has now been worsened by the 10-lane fever) and Maraba-Nyanya Road? They now understood why residents of Nyanya-Maraba axis must hang around in the office until about 9pm. For those in time-sensitive jobs, they must leave their homes before 6am in order to avoid early morning jam. Some began to wonder whether the mega traffic jam being experienced on the road was not too much a sacrifice for the mega road underway. Come to think of it, the road construction was scheduled to last for 36 months. What if the company adds another one year before it can deliver? Will this trauma and nightmare continue for so long?

The siren still blares as ‘important personalities‘ are conveyed to and from the airport. Now, it is not only the President‘s and the Vice-President‘s convoy. Governors constantly visit the city and must pass through the road in their blaring convoys. Heads of paramilitary organisations also move in their siren-blaring convoys too. Where on earth will ordinary road users scamper to in the midst of the snaking jams? Yes, the traffic jam now snake because of the numerous twists resulting from diversions.
What annoys some residents is that most diversions are hardly announced. There is no guarantee that you will pass through the same track passed in the next two or three hours. The old track may have closed and a new one opened on another segment as works progress.

Simon Ade, a regular user of the road, says that bad driving habit of many Nigerians contribute to the problem on the road. According to him, at each point in time, the road is wide enough to take two cars. However, he adds that because many want to be faster than those ahead of them, they create more lanes than the road can take and thereby create confusion for others.
Abuja Sector Commander of the Federal Road Safety Commission, Mr. Funbi Olawoyin, told our correspondent that the agency is working with the contractor to minimise the inconvenience the construction is causing road users.

According to him, FRSC insists that the road should never be diverted to a new track in the night to avoid road mishaps. He appealed to road users to reduce their speed whenever on the road, adding that the inconvenience would ease off.
He said the law is clear on who is entitled to the use of sirens. The FRSC boss added that the agency makes it a point of duty to stop any unauthorised person from using siren. He admitted that some unauthorised people could use siren and go scot free because officials of the agency would not be on the road all the time.

On those that complicate traffic situations by plying one way, Olawoyin said the commission does not spare anyone that is caught. ”We have made them to pay fine. In fact, it does not stop at paying fines for the offence. We have dragged some to court and some have even bagged jail terms for the offence. We don‘t take the offence lightly,” he said.

When will this cup pass over? That is the question many residents and road users keep asking. Maybe, only the contractor and perhaps, the Federal Government can answer.

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