Commuters urge FG to repair Gombe-Yola highway culvert

Heavy flooding on Thursday completely cut off a major road connecting parts of the North-East states of Adamawa and Taraba, leaving passengers stranded.

The bridge, which links Lafiya Lamorde, a border town with Gombe State, was built with a heavy metal culvert to channel water.

However, the floodwaters washed away the remaining construction, making the road impassable for vehicles.

A stranded passenger, Adamu Dangombe, appealed to the Federal Government on Friday for urgent repairs, saying, “Some took the risk of crossing the washed-away part of the road after waiting for hours when the water pressure reduced while some others ended their journey by returning.

“The Federal Government should urgently prioritise the completion of the road. Yearly Federal Road Maintenance Agency wastes resources that would have been used to curb such occurrence.”

A driver, Muritala Hassan, affected by the road collapse, highlighted the social and economic setbacks caused by the damage, especially with the harvest season approaching.

“Taraba and Adamawa states are some of Nigeria’s known cattle rearers and have farmers producing many major food crops transported to different parts of the country and beyond. The Federal Government should urgently fix the road to reduce Nigeria’s rising food crisis,” Hassan added.

Meanwhile, the National Emergency Management Agency conducted an on-the-spot assessment of the damage.

In a statement shared on X.com, NEMA acknowledged the severe disruption to trade and travel caused by the collapse, which occurred in the Lamurde Local Government Area of Adamawa State.

“The incident has stranded commuters and goods, significantly affecting transportation between the two states,” NEMA noted. “The collapse likely resulted from structural weaknesses worsened by heavy seasonal rains.”

The Director-General of NEMA, Zubaida Umar, initiated a rapid assessment led by Mr Musa Yakubu from NEMA’s Yola office in collaboration with the Local Emergency Management Committee of Lamurde LGA.

Initial reports indicated that the damage severely impacted critical infrastructure, creating major transportation delays and safety risks.

NEMA said local residents were advised to avoid the area until further notice.