Gov. Babagana Zulum of Borno has directed the state Ministry of Transport to introduce a weighbridge to check the excesses of truck drivers plying the Maiduguri-Dikwa-Gandoru/Ngala Road.

Zulum gave the directive in Maiduguri on Thursday at an emergency meeting with stakeholders in the transport sector in the state.

Zulum, who said trucks plying the border road should not carry more than 40 tonnes, said the truck scale should be installed in Maiduguri, Dikwa, and Gamboru towns.

A few days ago, the governor visited Gamboru, where he lamented the damage done to the Federal road by trucks carrying as much as 100 tonnes, a development he described as “economic sabotage.”

Representatives of transport organisations such as the National Union of Road Transport Workers (NURTW) and the Nigerian Association of Road Transport Owners (NARTO) welcomed the development and promised to comply.

They lauded the governor for his commitment to improving transportation in the state and promised that their unions would do everything possible to support him.

The News Agency of Nigeria (NAN) reports that the dilapidated nature of the road has led to recent cases of insurgents planting Improvised Explosive Devices (IEDs) on the road.