The Abuja–Lokoja Road which was closed down as a result of the overflowing of the River Niger has finally been reopened by the Federal Government. The road, which was diverted at Banda, was re-opened at about 4 p.m on Friday.
Immediately after the road was reopened, motorists and travelers, who had been stranded for days, were seen scrambling to get out of the seemingly dead-end situation in which they found themselves and move on.
The 3-kilometre road at Nkomi and over 5-kilometre Barde road were only made available for use as alternatives by the Federal Government on Thursday. But vehicles, especially trucks were sinking on it, hence the road was closed.
This new development means that the feast day is over for the ferry operators who have been making loads of money ferrying vehicles and their passengers over the flooded road. Reports have it that these ferry operators – mostly originally fishermen – charged as high as N15,000 to N30,000 depending on the size of the vehicles they are ferrying.
Source: Tribune
