Auchi-Benin highway gridlock leaves articulated vehicles stranded

Auchi-Benin Highway has been plagued by a massive gridlock, leaving hundreds of articulated vehicles stuck for over four days, as the road’s deteriorated condition has made it impassable.

The massive traffic jam has resulted in a staggering 10-kilometer-long queue of stranded vehicles, stretching from Aviele all the way to the Iyamoh section of the highway.

According to reports, the Aviele section of the road, similar to several other stretches of the 140km highway, has deteriorated to the point of collapse.

The Benin-bound lane of the road that has been completely blocked has also created inconveniences for road users in Auchi and the environs.

When our correspondent visited the road on Monday, he met with some of the drivers, particularly those conveying perishable goods from the Northern part of the country to the South who lamented their losses.

A driver, Mallam Isa Adamu, said he had spent four days on the road and had to dispose of his perishable times cheaply in order not to incur complete loss.

“I have been on this road for four days now. As you can see, there is no hope I will even leave here anytime soon. I even had to sell off my perishable goods to reduce my loss,” he lamented.

Like, Adamu, Murtala Isiaku said several of his livestock had been damaged owing to the long stay without food and water.

He said, “I tried getting some edible grass for them here to survive. Of course, it’s like several persons pursuing fewer materials.

“I am not the only driver carrying goats and other animals, we all have to struggle for the little available to take care of our animals.

“While some have sold off their goods cheaply, I have also seen some discharging their cows here to enter into the bush with the help of herdsmen they hired here.”

Meanwhile, a motorist with a popular transport line in Auchi who identified himself as Lucky, said the blockage had made them start taking a longer route to Benin from Auchi.

He said, “For days now, we have not been able to go to Benin through Ekpoma because of the blockage.

“Several protests have been made to get the government’s attention to fix this road, yet, things seem to be going from bad to worse.

“This bad Aviele section is only an addition to several other bad portions of the highway from Auchi to Benin. We are in for a terrible time this season as the rain continues,” he stated.

As previously reported, the highway, which serves as a critical link between the North and South, was contracted for dualization works in 2012.

Despite the contract being awarded years ago, it wasn’t until Monday that the Minister of Works, Dave Umahi, took the decisive step of terminating the contracts of the three contractors responsible for the project.