Road crisis awaits Christmas returnees from Lagos to Southeast.
3 min read
Many South easterners and South Southerners who will be visiting their various homes and villages during the celebration of 2023 Christmas may most likely encounter some road crises such as long traffic log jams, illegal collection of tolls by area boys and police officers on roadblocks, fuel scarcity and highly increased cost of transport. This is in accordance with the findings made by Umuaka Times reporters last week. As it stands today, the Benin Bypass and Lagos Benin Express Road have been in a seriously bad state since the beginning of the raining season from last year till date. The situation worsened when the 2023 raining reason began. The bad roads have forced many road users to always seek alternative routes between Edo State and Delta State. This development has in effect, forced some commercial bus drivers and private car owners to always wangle into Benin villages in search of alternative routes. Trust Edo boys, the moment they observed that drivers have resorted to using alternative village routes; they mounted illegal toll gates and forcing motorists to part with about N500 or more at every toll gate. Any driver who refuses to pay the toll will certainly have himself to blame.
Coupled with this crisis is the unending police check points which have returned with full force. Umuaka Times reporters who travelled between Lagos and Imo State last week, counted about 42 police check points on the dilapidated roads. Yet, Christmas has not come. When Christmas comes, the entire scenario will pose a highly nightmarish experience to road users
The cost of transport due to the unjustifiable increase in fuel pump price is perhaps the most difficult of the road crises according to Umuaka Times findings. For now, many transport firms charge as high as between 20 and 25,000 from Lagos to East. A driver who spoke to Umuaka Times last week disclosed that they would be charging between 40,000 and 50,000 or even more when the Yuletide era finally begins. After making this statement, the Umuaka Times reporter asked him what would happen to the passengers if the vehicle they will be travelling in breaks down on the road. The driver laughed and then answered saying, “my brother you are on your own.”
The Second River Niger Bridge which came as a great source of relief to motorists has perhaps become an albatross to the users of the new bridge. Several taxi drivers confirmed to Umuaka Times that at the Oba town area of the bridge has become a new found land for robbers who are in the habit of dispossessing motorists and passengers of their phones, ATM cards and other valuables. The drivers called on the Anambra State Government to mount a 24 hour road block at the Oba side of the bridge.
For those who may likely fly to the East this December, Umuaka Times confirmed that all seats in all the airlines that fly to the East are fully booked at a very heavy cost. Popular blogger, Linda Ikeji in a story titled, ‘Nigeria is gone’ – Nigerians react after finding out one way ticket from Kano to Abuja is now N200k while Owerri to Abuja is 170k, explained in details with air ticket proves how the cost of local flight has increased in the recent times. An Umuaka man who flew in from Lagos early this month to the East and landed at Sam Mbakwe International Airport, told Umuaka Times that it cost him over N160,000 both ways from Lagos to Imo State.
With this ugly scenario playing out, it appears that many Nigerians who live in faraway Lagos and other places may suspend their Christmas home coming till further notice as there seems to be no solution available for now.
