Commuters under the auspices of the Road Users Development Network of Nigeria (RUDNN) have threatened to stage a protest over neglect of the dilapidated portions of the Abuja-Keffi expressway.

The highway has become a source of worry and daily nightmare and sufferings to the citizens and residents of the area.

The group called on the contractor handling the ongo­ing expansion of Abuja-Keffi road to immediately rise and maintain the existing car­riageway within the next 14 days; otherwise, they might be left with no option than to mobilise other users of the road to protest their hardship to Mr. President.

RUDNN in a statement signed by its Caretaker Com­mittee Chairman, Chimezie Obi and made available to newsmen in Abuja on Wednesday, also decried the slow pace of the expansion work, which have impacted negatively on the lives and businesses operating within one of the busiest roads in Nigeria due to its proximity to the FCT.

RUDNN, however, observed that while the road expansion work is taking forever to con­struct, the heavy vehicular movement and climate effects are also causing potholes on portions of the road, specifi­cally from Abacha Barracks down to the boundary of FCT and Nasarawa State, leading to a slowdown of movement by vehicles, thereby causing a long stretch of gridlock on the road.

The statement read in parts: “There is need to draw the attention of the Federal Government once again on the plight of citizens plying the Abuja-Keffi Road has once again become imperative and urgent.

“Daily, commuters along this road suffer untold hard­ship during the peak hours of the morning and the evening simply because the Federal Government through the Ministry of Works has failed to take that road expansion work seriously. Nigerians will like to know whether the du­ration of the expansion work is forever.

“Otherwise, the Ministry that awarded that contract should sit up and take deci­sive actions for the interest of citizens subjected to untold hardship daily on that road.”

(Adopted from Daily Independent)