By Kennedy Sheyin
Motorists and commuters on Friday, lauded the FRSC Corps Marshal, Shehu Mohammed, for personally leading the operation that restored traffic on the Abuja-Kaduna expressway.
The motorists and commuters, who spoke with the News Agency of Nigeria (NAN), in Jere and other communities affected by the gridlock, described the gesture of the corps marshal as “leadership by example”.
They commended him for opting to offer himself for national service, rather than joining his family and other Muslims to celebrate the Eid-el Kabir festival.
NAN reports that Mohammed, in what observers saw as a remarkable display of proactive leadership, operational expertise, and commitment to public safety, personally led an emergency intervention that successfully restored free vehicular movement along the route.
Traffic had stood still for days following a massive traffic obstruction at the Azara Bridge, in the Jere axis of the state
The FRSC Corp Public Education Officer (CPEO), Osondu Ohaeri, had earlier said that the gridlock, which started on Monday, posed a serious threat to mobility on one of Nigeria’s busiest transport corridors.
He clarified that it was triggered by the ongoing road construction activities and compounded by the breakdown of an articulated vehicle conveying a crane at a narrow diversion point.
According to Ohaeri, the resulting gridlock rapidly escalated, stretching for several kilometres and leaving hundreds of commuters stranded in what could have developed into a complete traffic paralysis.
“Determined to prevent further chaos and ensure the safety of road users, the corps marshal swiftly moved to the scene in person, taking direct charge of operations and coordinating a multi-agency emergency response.
“Under his leadership, personnel of the FRSC Kaduna and FCT Sector Commands worked in close synergy with the Nigerian Army and construction officials to execute a strategic evacuation of the obstructing vehicle and clear the corridor within record time.”
Reacting to the development, some motorists and commuters described the corps marshal’s intervention as decisive and highly professional.
A motorist, Saidu Adamu, who witnessed the operation, described the intervention as swift, decisive, and highly professional.
According to him, Mohammed’s physical presence at the scene boosted operational efficiency and reinforced public confidence in the corps’ capacity to respond effectively during emergencies.
He said that the successful restoration of traffic flow highlighted the corps marshal’s exceptional leadership style, hands-on operational approach, and relentless dedication to safer highways across the country.
Another motorist, who simply gave his name as Jimoh, said the intervention was timely as motorists and commuters were already afraid of the consequences of spending nights on the highway.
“The chaos had already resulted in hunger and thirst for motorists and the passengers, but my fear was the security aspect of it.
“Kaduna-Abuja road has always had a history of kidnapping incidents. A lot of us were already afraid.
“The chaos was already causing clashes as motorists struggled to cut corners by moving through bushes. It was a scary sight,” he said.
Jimoh added that prolonged traffic congestion also had economic concerns as hours, or even days, could be wasted on the strategic expressway.
On her part, Hajia Altine Haruna, who said she spent about nine hours on the spot on Tuesday, lauded the FRSC team for coming to the rescue.
“We were so worried because there didn’t appear to be any solution until the team came.
“We later gathered that it was led by the Oga (Corps Marshal).
“I was surprised when I heard that he came himself instead of directing sector commanders to handle the situation.
“That he is a Muslim made it more surprising for me, because he was supposed to be celebrating the Sallah with his family.
“His intervention was a huge sacrifice and is worthy of being emulated by other top government officials,” she said.
A journalist, Adamu Abdullahi, who got stuck on the highway while travelling from Ibadan to Kano, described his stay on the gridlock as “devastating”.
“We managed to pass the Lokoja-Abuja expressway and I thought the worst was over until I reached Jere, and everything was at a standstill.
“We were already losing hope when the FRSC intervention came. We were excited and kept following the team and cheering them, all the way,” he said.
A pure water seller, Asabe Audi, who also spoke on the gridlock, said the situation was worsened by the massive traffic as people were travelling for Sallah.
“I have never seen such gridlock since I was born. It was so huge. Some people spent the night here.
“It afforded us brisk sales, but people were worried and anxious. We were happy that the FRSC people came,” she said.
Malam Bashir Danmallam, who sells fuel in Jere, told NAN that the situation could repeat itself, if the ongoing rehabilitation of the Abuja-Kaduna expressway was not completed on time.
“It is good that the road has been cleared, but we may have a similar situation another day if the ongoing construction work is not completed.
“The road is a very busy one, so any little delay in moment can lead to traffic congestion,” he said.(NAN)
Edited by Deborah Coker
