Presidency Moves To End Niger Gridlock, Orders Crackdown On Truck Parking In Lagos

The Presidency has launched an intervention to tackle the prolonged traffic gridlock along the Bida–Kutigi corridor in Niger State, while ordering a crackdown on indiscriminate truck parking along key port access roads in Lagos.

The intervention follows President Bola Ahmed Tinubu’s directive for immediate measures to ease the hardship faced by motorists, transport operators and passengers along the Niger corridor.

The Senior Special Assistant to the President on Transportation and Mobility, Prince Adetokunbo Ademola Ade-John, joined officials of the Federal Ministry of Works and the Federal Road Safety Corps (FRSC) to address the worsening traffic situation.

Ade-John held a high-level meeting with the FRSC Corps Marshal, Shehu Mohammed; Minister of State for Works, Bello Muhammad Goronyo; and National President of the National Association of Road Transport Owners (NARTO), Yusuf Lawal, where measures were agreed to improve traffic management and clear bottlenecks.

The Wuya Bridge between Kutigi and Bida was identified as a major congestion point, with the situation reportedly worsening on Wednesdays because of increased traffic associated with the weekly market.

FRSC personnel in Bida and Kutigi have continued to deploy on Wednesdays to regulate traffic, while additional measures are being pursued to address recurring congestion along the corridor.

Traffic has also been affected along the Bida–Badeggi–Agaie Road and the Maje–Diko Junction axis in front of the Suleja NNPC Depot, where vehicles have reportedly been unable to move in both directions for about 15 days.

Ade-John reaffirmed the Presidency’s commitment to addressing transportation bottlenecks affecting mobility and economic activities, while appealing to motorists and transport operators to cooperate with traffic management officials during the intervention.

Meanwhile, the Federal Government has announced measures to tackle indiscriminate truck parking along the Coastal Road and Deep-Sea Port Access Road corridor in Lagos.

Speaking at a stakeholders’ meeting convened by the Nigerian Ports Authority, Ade-John warned that trucks obstructing the corridor would be impounded and relocated to approved truck parks.

He said the government would not allow unauthorised truck parking to undermine traffic flow, road safety and the public investment in the strategic port access corridor.