From Okey Sampson, Umuahia
The deplorable state of federal roads in the South East, including some sections of the Enugu-Port Harcourt Expressway is no more news.
For years, the Aba to Port Harcourt section has remained practically impassable. That axis, particularly around Osisioma, in Abia State, has been commuters’ nightmare. It is such that a journey, which ordinarily should take less than 30 minutes from Aba to Port Harcourt, now lasts over three hours.
But that is just one of the challenges faced by commuters on the highway, particularly truck drivers. There is also the alleged issue of extortion by soldiers and touts along the route.
The whole thing came to a head on November 2, when the articulated vehicle drivers embarked on a protest, blocking the Aba axis of the Enugu/Port Harcourt Expressway. They complained about the unbearable state of the highway and alleged extortion by soldiers at checkpoints along the Abia stretch of the expressway.
As at Tuesday, November 8, the protest entered its 7th day with economic activities and vehicular movements totally grounded. In the midst of the confusion, several commuters were stranded while some motorists who were not already trapped looked for village routes to continue their journey.
Daily Sun learnt that on the fateful day the protest commenced, trailer, tanker, tipper and other articulated vehicle drivers, numbering over 100, used their trucks as early as 2am to block the expressway from the Ariaria Junction to Flyover (Alaoji), Aba, causing serious gridlock and untold hardship to commuters.
By 9am, the gridlock had stretched from Flyover to Obehie, a distance of over 25 kilometres and also stretched further beyond Osisioma, towards the Enugu end of the road.
The situation in the area was akin to the #EndSARS protest of 2020 as the protesters tried to make fun out of their frustrating condition. They brought music set and threw party on the road, with people eating, drinking and dancing. Some of the truck owners and drivers told us that was the best way to contain their predicament.
Apart from the dilapidate state of the road, they also complained of many checkpoints along the route manned by soldiers where they are forced to pay N1,000 at each checkpoint per truck. Drivers who access Aba through Owerrinta axis said they meet nine of such checkpoints before getting to Alaoji, Aba, while those who drive straight from Port Harcourt, contend with four checkpoints.
One of the drivers, who gave his name as Ikechukwu, said the deplorable condition of the expressway destroy their vehicles, even as it had killed many of their members.
He recounts their ordeal: “We are equally protesting the extortion by mostly soldiers along the Abia section of the expressway. There are nine military checkpoints from Owerrinta to Alaoji in Aba and at each checkpoint, our members are forced to pay N1,000 when once it is midnight.
“The reason they give us is that there is curfew in the state and as a result, we must pay N1,000 per checkpoint before we enter the city.”
Another driver, Onyebuchi, said traveling on the Aba to Port Harcourt section of the road had become hellish.
“Before now, we used to travel through Owerrenta to Elele before getting to Port Harcourt because of the very bad nature of that section of the expressway, but presently, they have blocked the road and we are now left with no option than to use the expressway the way it is.
“Two weeks ago, one of our members’ trucks which mistakenly entered into a pothole at the Alaoji axis of the expressway, fell on top of a commercial bus and killed some passengers,” he said.
The distraught driver said the matter was worsened by the order by the state government that articulated vehicles should not enter Aba until 9pm. Onyebuchi also bemoaned the activities of touts who he alleged come to extort money from them in the guise of collecting revenue for Abia State Government even at midnight.
According to the driver, the drivers were disposed to paying whatever the government demanded if the road was good, but lamented that they were being exploited daily.
Onyebuchi bemoaned: “They have the fee they said is for the Board of Internal Revenue (BIR), after paying that, they will ask us to pay for daily ticket, before you know it, they will ask you to pay for obstruction. When you park vehicle where you are offloading, the touts who claim to be revenue agents will come and impound it.”
A truck owner, who gave his name as Ifeanyichukwu, said their trucks fall at will because of the condition of the road. He appealed to the government to, as a matter of urgency, repair the road, while urging “soldiers and touts in Aba, to leave articulated vehicle drivers alone so that we can do our business without much suffering.
“One man they call Power who claims he works for one Young, an agent of the BIR whose office is close to the fire service station Aba has been extorting us. As we speak, they are holding about four container trucks in their premises and when you ask them, they will say they were sent by the government.
“When we go to the Commissioner for Transportation, Chief Godswill Nwanoruo, he will tell us they are his workers; we are confused in Aba now. Government should help us. The drivers have decided not to leave the expressway until it is at least temporarily fixed and the other issues addressed.”
A container truck driver told our correspondent that the soldiers capitalize on the curfew imposed by the state government to exploit them. He explained: “If you are coming from Port Harcourt and get to Uratta Junction, soldiers there will hold you and collect N1000 without which you will not pass. It is the same thing at Ariaria and Brass junctions, you will pay the same amount. If you get into the city and park where you will offload your vehicle, touts aided by security agents will come and take away your vehicle battery for one flimsy reason or the order and you have to pay N150,000 before the battery will be released.
“Abia Government gave order that we should not enter Aba until it is 9pm. If we still get into the city in the night, some group of touts led by Young, will go to where we parked our vehicles, and remove the battery.”
He gave an instance where a trailer was offloading cement, touts went there and removed the vehicle to the premises of a mall at Osisioma and asked the driver to pay N250,000. He said the driver begged them with N100,000, but they refused.
“Our executive have met with officials of the BIR several times over the issue of multiple levies and they advised us to be paying online. But when we do that and get into the city and show them the paper, the touts will still impound your vehicle for ‘obstruction’. So, we are asking the state government to help and solve the problem we are having in Aba. The first is that the road is very bad, and then soldiers and touts in the city are compounding our problems and making things difficult for the people,” he cried out.
He called on the state government to at least fill the potholes on the expressway with stones so as to allow vehicles free passage.
Reacting to the development, Abia State commissioner for transportation, Chief Godswill Nwanoruo, said the drivers were not against the state government per say. He explained that fixing the dilapidated highway was actually the job of the Federal Government but the Abia State Government would be intervening because that section of the road falls within the state.
He added that the alleged case of extortion by soldiers at checkpoints was not under the purview of the Abia State Government.
Nwanoruo said: “They are saying that the Enugu/Port Harcourt Expressway is very bad, that their trucks fall down there on daily basis and that after going for maintenance, when once they ply the road, their vehicles will spoil again.
“Again, that the extortion is coming from soldiers, especially those at Ariaria Junction and other places, that they are collecting money from them.
“Where they brought in Abia State government is that our daily ticket expires when they are still on the road, trying to come into the town because of the bad road; that when it expires, the BIR enforcement agents will come after them.”
The commissioner disclosed that he invited the drivers, officials of the BIR and the Ministry of Works for a meeting on Friday, November 4, to resolve the issues at stake, but unfortunately, the drivers refused to attend. According to him, they called to inform him that they would not attend any meetings, instead the governor should send government officials to come and address them.
“I told them that we should first of all agree on one or two things. The BIR said they have extended the expiration time for the online ticket to 4am, so, I begged and they agreed to extend the thing further to 6am.
“So, we have concluded that one on the side of the state government, but the issue of extortion by soldiers at checkpoints, is not my ministry’s making.”
On the deplorable condition of the expressway, the commissioner disclosed that Governor Okezie Ikpeazu has discussed with a construction firm to provide palliative measures on the bad portions.
“The contractors would have started the palliatives measures yesterday (Saturday), but the drivers are still blocking the road with their trucks, saying that they want the governor to come and address them before they leave the road. But I think we are going to sort things out with them today (Sunday), through dialogue,” he said.
He, however, debunked the allegation that the said Young was extorting the truck drivers to the tune of N100,000 to N250,000.
“Young is an enforcement agent of the BIR, I don’t think he will collect money from the drivers because of obstruction or something like that because that is not his job. How can Young collect N250,000? For what reason? It can’t be true.”
He appealed to them to stop blocking the expressway as government is striving to solve their problems. He equally informed the drivers that heads of security agencies in the state were aware of what was happening and they will do something to address the problem from their own end.
But the military authorities at the brigade in Ohafia, Abia State and the 82 Division of the Nigerian Army, Enugu, were not disposed to speak on the issue. One of the officers reached by Daily Sun said that any infractions by a taskforce set up by the Abia State Government should not be blamed on the army.
However, commuters, motorists, residents and businesses around and beyond the axis continue to suffer untold hardship.