By Favour Nnabugwu
Worried by the traffic gridlocks associated with festive seasons in the country, the Federal Government said it has set in motion a mechanism to control traffic ahead of this year’s Yuletide season.

Minister of State for Works, Amb. Bashir Yuguda disclosed this at the inauguration of an ad-hoc committee to coordinate and ensure the free flow of traffic on all Nigerian roads from now till in the new year.

The Minister and  the Managing Director of Federal Road Maintenance Agency ,FERMA, Mr Gabriel Amuchi, an engineers who heads the team, swung into action immediately after the inauguration by embarking on an on- the- spot assessment of construction works on the stretch of road between Giri junction and Gwagwalada bridge along the Abuja – Lokoja road.

The Minister promised that that the section of that road will wear a new look and will be open for use to decongest traffic in the next two weeks.

Yuguda told the committee whose members are drawn from FERMA, Nigerian Army, Nigerian Police, Federal Road Safety Corps, Directorate of Vehicle Inspection Office,VIO and Dantata & Sawoe, which represents the major construction companies in Nigeria, that their mandate was to concentrate on easing vehicular  congestion at the major traffic flashpoints on Nigerian roads especially Giri junction in Abuja.

He tasked the committee to ensure the ease of traffic from Giri Junction to Gwagwalada- Abaji; Onitsha Bridge Head; Benin-Ore-Shagamu road: Lagos-Ibadan; Zuba Flyover to Tafa and Nyanya to Mararaba roads without hampering on going construction works in the affected metropolis.

“Those sections of the road have always constituted bottlenecks and sometimes commuters had to abort their journeys. It is as a result of this untold hardship being experienced by commuters that it has become necessary to find solutions to the chaotic traffic situations that usually occur during the end of the year celebrations,” he said.

Continuing he said: “This ad-hoc committee is being set up today to ensure that commuters can traverse that section of the route smoothly, reduce vehicle operating costs and eliminate delays”

The Minister called on the Nigerian Police to avail the team the use of three helicopters to monitor the traffic situation nationwide noting that that would help identify specific spots that require immediate and urgent attention within the season.

Responding on behalf of the Committee, Brigadier General Emmanuel Atewe thanked the Minister for the initiative saying that this showed the good intentions of government to the welfare of its citizens. He promised that the committee will do everything in its powers to deliver its mandate.