Date: 2018-08-18

The National Union of Road Transport Workers Kwara and the Bodesaadu community, near Jebba, have passed a vote of confidence on President Muhammadu Buhari over his administration:s giant stride in infrastructure development.

Oluwabunmi Babatunde, the NURTW Chairman in Shao, Moro Local Government Area of Kwara, on Friday in Shao said the Buhari administration's intervention on road projects across the country was unprecedented.

Babatunde spoke to the News Agency of Nigeria during the inspection of completed 83.6 km Ilorin-Jebba-Mokwa road construction and rehabilitation project. NAN reports that the Minister of Information and Culture, Alhaji Lai Mohammed, carried out the road inspection with a team of newsmen.

He said: "Before this road was rehabilitated, many lives had been lost and unquantifiable property destroyed through recurrent fatal accidents. " Yhe road is always busy and it becomes busier during the period of festivities.

"Now that we are approaching the Sallah, if it were to be before that the road was bad, we would have recorded calamities.

"We are grateful to Baba Buhari government for this intervention because its completion has brought relief to us.

"We are for him any day, any time, because we believe he is the one that can govern this nation well."

Another member of the union, Afeez Akanbi, also thanked the government for completing the road project and expressed his support for Buhari's administration.

Akanbi appealed for construction of speed bumps at the Shao junction of the road to prevent accident and killing of pedestrians.

NAN reports that the Kwara State University Campus is located few distance across the junction and many students do cross the road.

On their part, the people of Bodesaadu, the Headquarter of Moro Local Government Council, said the importance of the road to the nation and their community in particular could not be overemphasised. Chief Bolakake Yusuf, the Baale (monarch) of the community who spoke on their behalf said his people and the Kwara North Senatorial District would ever remain grateful to Buhari.

Yusuf, a lawyer said: "we cannot overemphasise the importance of this road and there is no gainsaying it has impacted positively on the economy and wellbeing of the people.

" We sincerely appreciate the Federal Government under the able leadership of President Buhari for this project. We wish Baba Buhari well.

"I want to assure you that the people in this community will through all the time protect it as their asset and support the Buhari government "We have tasted and still tasting the dividends of democracy and we trust in God that it will continue by the special grace of God."

The monarch said that before its rehabilitation, the road was at a terrible state.

He said: "People of my community cannot come home at will. The markets around here, including a big cattle market were closed down.

"It affected everything. It could take you a week to travel across this road. It was a terrible experience for us and many people were moving away from this area. "Fixing the road has transformed the communities. We are very grateful because it has positively affected the people."

Yusuf reiterated that the Buhari government was doing well and Nigerians were happy with the government.

He said: "How can people say things are not happening in the country? This is a good example. " I am not a politician, but my people and I can attest to the fact that this government has performed and us performing.

"I have experienced it and my people have experienced it. That is why I am sending the minister to the President that we are very grateful. "I am sure it is the same feeling you will get when you get to Jebba and Eyenkorin communities.

"Everybody who had passed this road before and now passing it will definitely have the same feeling."

The monarch said the project has huge economic significance including free movement of agricultural products.

NAN reports that the N14 billion Ilorin-Jebba-Mokwa road is part of the Lagos- Algiers road called trans Sahara roads which cuts across the West and North Africa. The Ilorin Jebba section is only 93.6km long.

In Nigeria, the road connects the South-West geographical zone to the Northern part of the country.

The traffic on the road is heavy in volume and substantial part of the traffic are heavily loaded trucks, due to the import and export of goods through Lagos port.

Atitebi Wasiu, who conducted the minister and his entourage on the inspection, said the substantial part of the heavy traffic on the road were heavily loaded trucks due to the import and export of goods through Lagos port.

Wasiu, the Federal Controller of Works, Kwara, said the average daily traffic for trucks only on the road was about 7,500 while light vehicles accounted for about 7000.

He said most of the vehicles abandoned the road before the rehabilitation took place. He said: "The road which was constructed since over 30 years ago was abandoned by motorists for not less than 10 years due to its complete collapse.

"Those trucks which had no alternative were spending three to five days to transit this 93,6km road from Ilorin to Jebba before the eventual intervention of the Federal Government."

The engineer said the quality of the project carried out by CGC Nig. Ltd is of international standard and the life span is 20 years