Truck owners and commuters have raised the alarm over mounting losses on the ever-deteriorating Calabar-Uyo federal highway, as the road continues to claim lives, damage vehicles, and destroy goods.
In an interview with newsmen in Calabar on Tuesday, frustrated truck owners expressed their concerns over the road’s condition, which has worsened over the years, linking Cross River to Akwa Ibom and the Southeast.
They bemoaned the sluggish pace of the road’s rehabilitation, which has dragged on for over a decade.
Recall that the Minister of Works, David Umahi, inspected the road three months ago, promising that contractors would return and speed up the project.
However, this assurance has remained unfulfilled, with the road still in a state of disrepair.
One of the affected truck owners, Samson Etete, recounted a recent incident where his truck, loaded with bags of rice and bottles of groundnut oil, plunged into a ditch.
“This is another painful loss. My insurance had just expired a few days before the accident, and now, I have lost everything.
“A few months ago, another truck of mine fell on this same road near the Odukpani axis. That time, the loss was minimal compared to now,” he lamented.
Etete explained that community members carted away his goods after the accident, leaving him with no way to recover his losses.
“How do I bounce back from this? The bad road and overcrowded traffic are making things worse,” he added.
Similarly, truck driver Edet Uforo described the road as a nightmare for motorists.
“Every day, no fewer than ten heavy-duty trucks and other vehicles break down or fall into the ditches along the road,”
Uforo stated, citing the road’s dangerously slippery condition.
A commuter, Eno Johnson, who frequently uses the route for business, added that trucks often block the road after toppling over, causing severe traffic jams.
“Sometimes, we end up spending the night on the road, exposed to danger because of these constant accidents,” Johnson noted.
As the deplorable state of the Calabar-Uyo highway continues to wreak havoc on lives and businesses, calls for urgent intervention remain largely unanswered.
PUNCH
