EWLGA: Council Boss to Address Use of Auchi Township Roads by Heavy-duty Trucks, Seeks Collaboration with Stakeholders Beyond Etsako West

Auchi | Saturday, 12 |

In bid to establish a lasting solution to the incessant use of Auchi Township Roads as detour by heavy-duty trucks who hitherto used the now dilapidated Benin-Auchi-Okene expressway, Hon Zibiri Muhizu Marvelous the Executive Chairman of Etsako West Local Government Area of Edo has expressed the will to in collaboration with critical stakeholders take on the onerous exercise of helping to provide palliatives that would in the interim reclaim some of the damaged parts of the expressway between Aviele and Agbede.

Speaking to The Community’s Eye, the Chief Executive of the Council noted that Auchi Township Roads and other intra community roads were not made to bear the weight of heavy-duty trucks originally but because of the deteriorating nature of the passage way made originally for these trucks, the drivers have resorted to driving through Auchi town -noting that this does not only spell doom for the roads but more so, it portends danger to lives and properties along the Township Roads (assuming accidents occur as a result of mishaps that could happen whilst truck drivers drive through).

Speaking of previous efforts put in to address the issue, the Chairman stated that he held meetings with truck drivers unions in Edo North in conjunction with Employees and Employers of Road Transport Organizations in the axis and that these meetings yielded good results until the rains started again -wearing off the hardcore stones and other palliatives done on the Benin-Okene Expressway.

“We’ve done a lot of palliatives in conjunction with Union Truck Drivers and the owners, we’ve done a number of palliatives on that road and we would like to do more because we have a mandate and that mandate is a challenge to make life easier for our people….

“The union came to appeal that we reach out to stakeholders particularly the Federal government agencies like the Ministry of Works and the NDDC on the need to pay attention to that road.” He said.

Hon. Muhizu reported that whilst reaching out to the Federal Government agencies on the need to quickly address the lingering road concerns, he also made efforts to ensure that the Auchi Township road is barricaded such that trucks that are going to other states through the community will not enter into the town but continue on the expressway.

“The barricade at Jattu junction and Warrake Road came about when we noted that trucks were begining to go through Auchi town. We knew the danger this held and still holds for our people and that’s why we built the barricades

“…but some individuals from the community (especially business owners) started reaching out to me. -those that are into petroleum, foodstuffs, building materials and all started putting pressure on me that I’m causing more hardship in addition to the hardship already on ground for the people.

“They said that barricading that place is causing more hardship and that their vehicles can no longer bring fuel to the local government and food stuff like yam, rice, noodles to the local government.

“I sat down and actually looked at it myself and found out that their concerns were true.

“If the barricade is closed permanently there would be artificial food scarcity in this local government and that will be very very unreasonable on the part of the government because the function of government at every level is to make life affordable and easy for the people -doing otherwise would cause more hardship for the people especially as the Federal Road is impassible as we speak.”

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The Chairman said that to keep the community’s economy thriving it was ideal to allow trucks bringing goods to the community pass through but this raised some concerns of corruption as certain individuals started using the barricades as tollgates to collect monies from truck drivers without the consent of the Local Government’s Revenue Office.

This, he said has been a serious issue that the Local Government has been addressing.

He noted that even though he has been doing his best to facilitate the reclamation of degraded parts of the Benin-Auchi-Okene expressway, many people are unaware that such project is beyond the jurisdiction of the Local Government as it does not have the Constitutional and Financial power to carry out repair projects on a federal road.

“Most of our people do not know which road belongs to the local government and federal government.

Their own is that government is government but we have done and are still doing what we can to bring a lasting solution to the problems of bad roads whether local, State or Federal.”

The Chairman informed ABS News Network that because of the seeming neglect of the expressway by the relevant authorities at the Federal Government, truck drivers decided to express their displeasure via protests.

“If you can remember, around March this year, the drivers blocked that road and heavily mobilized to the extent that they were basically living there for days.

“I tried to talk to them and assure them of my efforts to reach the federal government but they said ‘no chairman!’,

“They even insinuated that they could see I am no longer with them because I tried to pacify and appeal that they unblock the road.

“These drivers gave cogent reasons why the roads should be fixed because if they cannot drive, they won’t be able to feed their families.

“They said the only way they can leave the road is if a representative from the Federal Ministry of Works comes and speak to them. “Fortunately, the minister, Umahi called and appealed that I should help intervene by talking to the people to unblock the road and I told him that the last time I tried the drivers almost lynched me -noting that the only solution is for him to come to Auchi and address the protesting drivers.

“As at the time he was speaking with me he was in Benin.” He said.

The Council Boss recounted that he appealed that part of the road be cleared just so that the Minister could assess Auchi. This was done and he came to tell the Drivers that the Federal Government was mobilizing to start work on the road -a development that encouraged the drivers to demobilize and leave the road.

He further noted that the plan now is to massively mobilize and encourage businesses, factories and critical stakeholders within and beyond Etsako West to generously raise the requisite resources with which to fix the degraded parts between Aviele and Agbede so that the drivers will continue their journey using the Benin-Auchi-Okene expressway -noting that naturally, no driver wishes to go through the inconvenience of passing through township roads which are often longer (consuming more diesel) and filled with speed breakers.

He expressed optimism that this time, with the collaboration of all the Chairmen of the Local Governments and Traditional Rulers across Edo North and beyond, the bad spots along the main express-line can be addressed pending when Federal Government decides to take the bull by the horns to offer a more comprehensive approach that would remedy the deterioration of federal roads across the nation.

“We cannot continue to do things the old way. Blocking Auchi from the access of Heavy-duty Trucks is not going to permanently address the challenge before us.

“I am currently working with critical stakeholders, factory owners in and outside Etsako West, petroleum marketers, Truck Unions and Local Government Chairmen including Traditional Institutions to mobilize massively just so we can save our township roads from disrepair. He said.

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