Motorists plying Independence Avenue which leads to Lugbe satellite town and Nnamdi Azikiwe International Airport, have decried the closure of a portion of the road by construction giant, Julius Berger.
The News Agency of Nigeria (NAN) reports Berger is constructing drainage and over bridge on the road in front of American Embassy.
As a result of construction, the company used kerbs to block a portion of the road just before the entrance to NAN headquarters thereby causing heavy traffic hold up.
The closure of the road disrupted traffic and caused vehicular grid-lock on the busy highway.
A cross section of the motorists, who spoke to NAN, expressed displeasure over the action, saying it had cost them hardship and wasted hours.
One of the motorists, Mr Augustine Bamiduro, said he was on his way to the airport to catch a flight to Lagos.
He expressed fear that he might miss his flight scheduled for 2 p.m. as a result of the traffic hold-up caused by the road block.
“This is crazy; how can a construction company block this very important route to the airport on Friday when many people will be going to catch their flight.
“In civilised clime, this cannot happen for whatever reason and I am calling on Berger to remove the kerbs,’’ he said.
Mrs Lizzy Agbaji, a staff of NAN whose Honda Accord car was involved in a minor accident at the point of diversion on the road, blamed the construction company for blocking the road at peak hour of the day.
Other staff of the NAN and other federal agencies with offices located on the avenue could not drive into their premises.
Some of the affected staff expressed dismay that Berger prevented them from accessing their offices without notification or sign post indicating diversion of the traffic on the avenue.
They urged the company to remove the kerbs placed on the road to enable them drive freely into the offices.
When contacted, Mr Moses Duku spokesperson of Julius Berger, told NAN he was not aware of the closure of the road, adding that he could not comment on something he does not know about. (NAN)
KM/AEA
