The blockade of the Minna- Bida road by trailer and tanker drivers have taken a new turn as the blockade has now extended to the Lambatta- Bida road.
The blockage paralysed vehicular movements along Minna-Bida and Suleja -Minna roads, causing trauma on the part of travellers, many of whom had spent two days on the road.
The drivers are protesting over continue closure of Minna-Bida road to tankers and heavy duty vehicles, even as the Bida- Lambatta road, which they ply, is in bad shape and causing untold hardship and damage to their vehicles.
Spokesperson of Petroleum Tanker Drivers Association, Alhassan Salihu, has vowed that they would not back down from their action unless the road was reopened for them to ply.
However, the state Commissioner for Information, Mohammed Sani Idris, in a statement on Friday, said the reopening of the road was “not an option for now” and blamed the federal government for the latest development.
The state government had closed the Minna – Bida road a year ago to give way for smooth operation by the construction company saddled with the reconstruction of the over 100 kilometres road.
The action of the government was also informed by the alleged continued damage of portions of the road already reconstructed.
21st CENTURY CHRONICLE had reported the slow pace of the road 18 months after flag-off, and after several loans collected from international finacial organisations by the government to fix the Minna-Bida road.
