Tag: travellers

Travellers lament as Benin-Warri expressway remains impassable [PHOTOS]

Travellers have lamented the situation of the federal government expressway from Benin to Warri as the state of the road is nothing to write home about.

TheNewsGuru.com (TNG) reports the expressway from the death trap fringes of Benin City through horrible Ologbo axis to gully-prone Oghara, wobbly Sapele bridges and outskirts of Warri is a terrible nightmare for travellers.

To reach Warri from Benin, a distance of just 100 kilometres that was initially 60 minutes drive, now takes over five hours journey.

A failed section on the Benin-Warri expressway

Mounting traffic as a result of a failed section on the Benin-Warri expressway

This is even as a gas truck trying to manoeuvre through potholes on the bad portion of the road at Ugbenu axis in the Ethiope West Local Government Area of Delta State on Sunday fell into a ditch, bursting into flames.

Although there were no casualties as motorists scampered for safety, causing major traffic gridlock, some travellers who spoke with TNG decried the state of the road and called on the government to urgently do something about it.

“I have been in holdup for the past 1 hour now. Just from Warri to Oghara I am spending 2 hours on this road. It is sad. This is absurd and ridiculous. The federal government should take responsibility. We all use the road and so it should be fixed,” Mercy Francis said.

A motorist, who identified himself as Henry, told TNG, “It is pathetic, it took me almost 2 hours to get to Oghara from Mosogar. Ordinarily, this was supposed to be a journey of about 14 minutes. It is a shame. We pass through hell on this road.

“Benin to Warri road is becoming worse on a daily basis. Benin to Warri that used to be an hour and 30 minutes drive for me back then has turned 5 hours drive for me today with serious manoeuvring to do”.

On his part, Jeffrey Onwuka said, “Do our so-called leaders and politicians see this road? Is it that there is no money to put these roads in good shape or that they just want us to suffer? The government should act!

“Sometimes, I wonder if this is a country that’s full of oil and agriculture. Look at common Benin republic, Togo and even Ghana they have good roads and steady light constant without stop.

“Then you tell me that we have a government when they always embezzle us and secondly they will also send police to wait for people on their way home to search and collect their things. God help the Nigeria situation because lives are in danger for the road and bridge sake”.

Meanwhile, as Nigeria marked 60 years of nationhood, the Delta State Governor Ifeanyi Okowa called on the Federal Government to embark on a total reconstruction of Benin-Warri highway, saying the road has collapsed.

The Governor made the call at an interdenominational thanksgiving service at Government House Chapel, Asaba to mark the independence anniversary of the country.

He said that the poor state of the roads had accounted for the loss of many lives and goods in accidents and robberies and also often resulted in the loss of man-hours through unending traffic snarls.

“I will use this opportunity to appeal to the Federal Government to attend to the Benin-Warri road; it requires total reconstruction.

“The interventions we have been doing over the years definitely cannot bring any solutions at the moment. We will see what we can do as soon as the rains are over, but that road requires total reconstruction. It is beyond our limit as a state and we hope that the Federal Government will look into that,” the Governor said.

October 11, 2020
Coronavirus: Travellers from Europe will now undergo compulsory screening, 14 days isolation – FG

As the coronavirus spread continue to affect the aviation industry globally with governments placing travel bans on countries with high rate of the disease, the federal government on Monday said travellers coming into the country from France, Germany, and Spain would undergo a secondary screening and a self-isolation for 14 days.

Minister of Health for State, Mr Olorunbe Mamora, speaking during a press briefing in Abuja, stated that the three countries have been added to the list of high-risk nations with widespread community transmission.

This is coming after China, Japan, Iran, Italy, and South Korea have all been labelled high risk countries.

Mr Mamora said the step became important for travellers from the eight countries after Nigeria carried out a review of its case definition for coronavirus.

“Despite that we have not recorded a confirmed COVID-19 case in the last one week in Nigeria, it is important to remember that we are still at high risk like other countries.

“We continue to monitor returning travellers that fit our case definition and improve our surveillance, detection and risk communications.

“Following the declaration of a pandemic and increasing spread in countries, we carried out a review of our case definition. We have added three new countries to the existing list of five high-risk countries with widespread community transmission. These are France, Germany, and Spain. Therefore, eight countries are on our priority list- China, Japan, Iran, Italy, Republic of Korea, France and Germany.

“Travellers from these eight countries will undertake secondary screening at the point of entry. They are also advised to self-isolate for 14 days on entry,” the Minister said.

He noted that between January 7 and March 15, 2020, a total of 48 people, who met Nigeria’s case definition had been screened for coronavirus in Edo, Lagos, Ogun, Yobe, Rivers, Kano, Enugu states and the Federal Capital Territory.

He added, “47 have tested negative and have been cleared, one was positive (contact of the index case) and one result is pending. There has been no death. The index case is clinically stable and has improved greatly. We look forward to progressing early this week, to guide the medical team in discharging him.”

On the case of the woman that was placed in isolation in Enugu after being suspected of having symptoms synonymous with coronavirus, Mr Mamora said she had tested negative to the virus.”

“In Enugu, a woman in her 70s returned from the United Kingdom and had symptoms of fever and mild respiratory illness. Her sample was collected for laboratory diagnosis and tested negative for COVID-19.

“Therefore, as of March 15, 2020, Nigeria has recorded two confirmed cases of COVID-19. One case is now negative and has been discharged from the hospital,” he added.

In the latest report about the pandemic, a total of 6,687 people have died with 174,893 cases confirmed in 162 countries so far with 77,867 people recovered.

March 17, 2020
Again! kidnappers abduct another 12 travellers in Kogi

The Kogi State Police Command has confirmed the abduction of another set of 12 persons in Itobe/Ajegu community in the Ofu Local Government Area.

The state Police Public Relations Officer, DSP William Aya, said the victims were travelling from Warri in a Toyota Hiace bus when they were abducted.

He however said that the number of victims had yet to be ascertained.

According to reports, the kidnappers had allegedly demanded N30m ransom to free the victims.

He said, “The victims boarded a Toyota Hiace bus belonging to Eleojo Transport Service with number plate KSF 19 XZ from Warri in Delta State on Sunday with 16 passengers heading to Anyigba in the Dekina LGA of the state.”

The source also said four of the passengers alighted at Okene, leaving 12 persons in the car, including the driver.

The vehicle was said to have run into the kidnappers between Itobe and Ajegu in the Ofu LGA, Kogi State.

The driver reportedly escaped and went to the Police at Itobe division to report the incident.

Recall that on Sunday around six o’clock, six passengers were abducted along Lokoja-Kabba road in the state.

February 19, 2020
Gunmen attack, abduct travellers on Abuja Kaduna Highway

There was pandemonium on the Abuja-Kaduna Highway on Monday evening as kidnappers in their numbers took centre stage of the busy highway robbing and kidnapping several people.

According to eye witness reports, before they could apply brakes, several vehicles crashed because of the speed with which the drivers were moving. Distress calls were later put across to different security agencies to rescue the victims.

The Nigerian Army later responded by dispatching about three truckloads of soldiers.

However, the dare devil kidnappers operated for about 30 minutes on the highway without intervention of security agents.

Before a team of soldiers and police officers arrived, many travellers had been abducted and taken into the bush, witnesses said.

Amongst them were occupants of a Toyota Hilux truck and a Toyota Corolla sedan. Some other vehicles were riddled with bullets, witnesses said.

Police and military spokespersons did not return separate calls seeking comments late Monday.

The highway has remained one of the most dangerous in the country with rampant kidnapping and robbery happening there frequently.

The police regularly conduct raids of remote villages on the highway’s fringes, but the kidnappers usually regroup shortly afterwards.

April 2, 2019
Christmas rush: Travellers groan over 100% transport fare hike in Edo

Barely 48 hours to Christmas, commuters in Edo groaned over hike in transport fares by more than 100 per cent to many destinations from Benin.

Transport fare from Benin to Makurdi, Benue, which hitherto cost N4, 000, jumped to N8, 500 as at Sunday morning.

Transport fares to Abia, Enugu and Anambra have increased from N3,000, N2,500 and N1,500 to N6,000, N5,000 and N3,500 respectively.

Some of the commuters who spoke in separate interviews with NAN in Benin wonder why the increase when there was no increase in official price of fuel or scarcity of the product in the area.

Others, however, traced the development to the usual yuletide.

A commuter, Mrs Okechi Mba, described the increase as a“desperate means by commercial drivers to exploit passengers, many of who he noted must travel home, no matter the transport cost during festive periods.

“It is just act of wickedness against their fellow human beings. How do you explain this huge increase?

“I am still confused as to the cost of travelling from here down to Aba; myself and three kids. It’s sad,” she lamented.

Mr Agbo Ogenyi, called for regulation of cost of transportation that had become a yearly affair.

Transport fare for intercity has also increased due to the increasing movement of commuters.

Benin to Auchi, Sabongida-Ora and Ekpoma increased from N1,000, N800 and N1,000 to N1,500, N1200 and N1200 respectively.

December 23, 2018