To ease traffic congestion and improve road safety, the Federal Government has begun evacuating heavy-duty trucks that have been parked indiscriminately on the Enugu-Onitsha Expressway.
The enforcement, which started at the Anambra boundary, through the 9th Mile axis, to the Enugu metropolis, is being coordinated by the Federal Ministry of Works in collaboration with security and traffic management agencies.
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Speaking during the exercise, the Federal Controller of Works in Enugu State, Smart Okpi, said the operation aligns with the Minister of Works’ directive to remove all illegally parked heavy-duty trucks obstructing traffic on the highway.
Mr Okpi stated that the ministry had notified stakeholders through press releases and media announcements before enforcement began.
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“We are here with the Federal Road Safety Corps to coordinate traffic, the Enugu State Transport Management Authority with towing equipment, the Nigeria Police Force to maintain law and order, and the Nigerian Army to provide additional security,” he said.
The Controller noted that community leaders and business associations also participated in the exercise, adding that their cooperation resulted in high compliance.
“So far, people have been complying. You can see that the trucks are already leaving the expressway, making it clear and safer for road users,” he said.
Mr Okpi added that the exercise would be sustained, with ministry officials continuing to monitor the corridor to prevent a return to indiscriminate roadside parking.
He confirmed that community leaders had been mobilised to report violations, and that offending vehicles would be impounded and taken to the FRSC yard.
The Controller, however, identified inadequate space for impounded vehicles as a potential challenge should the enforcement expand.
He advised truck operators to utilise a nearby private trailer park and space provided by the local government pending the construction of designated trailer parks under the next phase of the ongoing project.
Support from market leaders
Also speaking, the Chairman of the Gariki Ugwuoba Cattle Market, Mohamed Idris, described the exercise as timely and beneficial.
Mr Idris said the market leadership had already sensitised truck drivers, mechanics and traders against parking on the roadside.
“We have been working day and night to ensure that trucks no longer park along the road. Although we do not have a permanent trailer park, we have been using a private facility, which is already overstretched,” he said.
He explained that drivers who ignored the directive did so at their own risk and appealed to the government to provide additional parking facilities.
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Similarly, the Chairman of the Ugwuoba Cattle Market Task Force, Chimaobi Nwangwu, said the market leadership received official notification from the ministry a month earlier and immediately began sensitising truck drivers.
“We have been telling them every day that there should be no parking on the road, but some drivers are stubborn. Today’s joint operation involving the police, the army and other agencies has made enforcement much easier,” he said.
Mr Nwangwu expressed optimism that sustained enforcement would eliminate traffic congestion along the corridor.
(NAN)
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