Trailer, Tanker Drivers Protest in Niger, Lock down Bida

By Laleye Dipo

Tanker and trailer drivers in Niger State are currently embarking on protests over the closure of the Minna-Bida road by the state government.

The protests, which began Thursday, have resulted in the blocking, with their trucks, all major routes leading to Minna, the state capital, from Bida.

THISDAY learnt that the state government had closed the Minna-Bida road as a result of the reconstruction of the road which started over a year ago.

From noon on Thursday, THISDAY learnt that the driver’s used their vehicles to block the road from the Cirico junction and other exits in the town, making it impossible for motorists to access the Bida-Minna road.

The gridlock caused by the tanker and trailer drivers’ action has elongated to about eight kilometres to the Bida-Agaie road and more than 10 kilometres from the Bida-Ilorin road.

As at Friday morning, most workers of the National Cereals Research Institute (NCRI), Badeggi situated along the Bida- Agaie-Lapai road could not get to their place of work.

Commercial motorcyclists, who could manoeuvre through the gridlock, charge exhorbitant fares to convey commuters to different parts of the city.

Also, smaller vehicles now pass through the School of Nursing in Bida to access the Agaie-Lapai road either for the journey to Minna or Suleja and in the process, the commercial vehicle owners charge extra N1,000 for fueling of their vehicles as a result of the longer route they have to take.

A spokesman for the Petroleum Tanker Drivers Association (PTDA) in Bida, Alhaji Alhassan Salisu, told THISDAY that they will not withdraw their vehicles from the blockade until government opens the Bida-Minna road.

Salisu said initially, the government pleaded with them to bear with it for two weeks, which later became two months and now one year, “we cannot continue to bear with them because we are suffering too”.

“Even the Bida-Lambatta road that we used to pass is now impassable apart from the security risk involved,” Salisu said.

All efforts to get government officials to comment on the development has been unsuccessful, but THISDAY learnt reliably that government will not reopen the Bida-Minna road for use by heavy utility vehicles for now.

It was gathered that Governor Abubakar Sani Bello has however directed that the failed portions on the Lambatta-Bida road should be graded to make it passable for heavy duty vehicles.

The grading is to start weekend.