Lawmakers Seek Urgent Construction Of Major Road In Nasarawa State
The House of Representatives has urged the Nigerian Government to as a matter of urgency, consider the construction of Lafia-Doma-Rutu-Bassa-Rafin Gabas-Nasarawa-Orozo road in Nasarawa State.
This resolution was sequel to a motion by Rep. Gaza Jonathan Gbuefi and four other lawmakers on Tuesday at plenary.
The House also called on the Nigerian Government to ensure the expedient award of the contract for the road and see to its timely completion, to alleviate the suffering of the people of Nasarawa State and foster economic growth in the region and by extension other parts of Nigeria.
The lawmakers noted that the Lafia-Doma-Rutu-Bassa-Rafin Gabas-Nasarawa-Orozo road which is approximately 146.1km long was first coded and gazetted in 1974 as part of the Nigerian road network.
According to Gbuefi, “Since then, successive administrations have made efforts to construct the road with file No: DDH/R/DC/2010/Vol.I/16 and Route 301(F124), but unfortunately, these efforts have not yielded the desired results;
“The road section, which is, takes off from Lafia-Makurdi road within Lafia township, capital of Nasarawa state, traverses through several towns and communities in Doma, Kokona, and Nasarawa LGAs of the State. It also traverses Orozo and several other settlements in Karshi Area Council of the FCT providing access to these communities that rely on it for transportation of goods and services.”
Gbuefi stated further that the importance of the road cannot be overemphasized as it serves as a major link between Nasarawa State and other parts of the country.
He said; “One key Socio-economic benefit of the road is the shorter, easier and less risk prone access to the FCT for all commuters coming through Benue State from the South East and or South South Geographical Zones of the Country. The proverbial daily Traffic Grid Lock experienced from Masaka and Mararaba (Nasarawa State) to Nyanya and AYA (FCT) would become history. Also, construction of the proposed new road would provide direct access to and from Abuja Airport through Apo bypassing the present congested route.”
The lawmaker stated: “Aware that the new access route will serve as an economic boost for commuters and aid the transportation of agricultural produce from the North Central, Southeast and South-South regions to the FCT and beyond. The construction of this new road network will serve as a catalyst for economic growth, reduce negative environmental impacts, and improve the overall standard of living of the host communities and the state in general.
“Also aware that the road is not only crucial to the economic development of the state, but it also ensures the safety and security of the people who depend on it as it also provides provide shorter, safer and more effective access to the Nation’s Headquarters for the 123 Nigerian Army Special Forces Battalion in Doma LGA.”
“Concerned that further neglect by the government of such an important and strategic project will not only continue to cause significant hardship to the people of Nasarawa State but will affect the economic activities as the current access route to the FCT leads to massive loss of man hours due long traffic delays, high transportation costs and loss of valuable goods in transit,” Gbuefi said.
The House unanimously adopted the motion by voice vote and urged the Federal Ministry of Works and Housing to include the construction of the road in its annual budget.
It also urged the Ministry to prioritise funding for the project since all study and engineering designs reports on the road are available and in their possession.
Mercy Chukwudiebere
