Gridlock woes: Abuja Airport Road's perpetual scourge

Danladi Ayuba, a young engineer with a first-class degree in chemical engineering, had been waiting for his dream job in one of the petrochemical companies in Southern Nigeria, and after several applications, he received an invitation for an aptitude test from a prominent Port-Harcourt-based energy firm.

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Ayuba spent several hours each night preparing for the test, determined to prove to his would-be employers that he earned his first-class degree, but due to the pressure of work at his current job, he was only granted one day off to take the test.

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His plan was to take an afternoon flight from Abuja to Port Harcourt, a day before the test, write the test the following morning, and return to Abuja after the test, but things did not go as planned.

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As Ayuba left the office at 1:30 pm, he did not know that the trip from Abuja City Centre to the Nnamdi Azikiwe International Airport, Abuja, which usually takes about 30 minutes, would turn out to be a three-hour trip.

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The taxi got stuck at the U-turn at the Abuja Trade Fair Ground, where the entire Airport Road was jammed on both sides, causing Ayuba to panic and wonder what was happening.

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The driver explained that an articulated truck had fallen across the lane towards the town, and desperate motorists had taken over the opposite lane, blocking traffic from the city towards the airport.

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Ayuba's taxi driver was unable to manoeuvre, as other vehicles had blocked them from all sides, and they were stuck in the same spot for more than one hour, prompting Ayuba to alight and trek to Lugbe, covering over 10 kilometres.

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From Lugbe, Ayuba boarded another taxi to the airport, but the experience was a nightmare, and he eventually missed his flight and the aptitude test due to the lack of an alternative route from Abuja city to the airport.

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Ayuba's story is not unique, as thousands of Abuja residents have missed their flights and important appointments due to the same issue, with accidents on the Abuja Airport Road being common and often causing chaos.

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When accidents occur, driving against traffic becomes the norm, with escort vehicles leading the way and other motorists following, leaving officials of the Federal Road Safety Corps helpless.

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The Abuja Master Plan provides for at least three roads to connect the city to the airport, but only the Shehu Musa Yar’Adua Express Way has been constructed, leaving no alternative route for motorists.

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The Airport Road was once free of heavy traffic, but with the passage of time and mass migration to Abuja, it has become unpredictable, with frequent accidents and heavy traffic from the City Gate to the airport.

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As a presidential route, the President, top government functionaries, and private sector VIPs frequently use the Abuja Airport Road, making it even more essential to have an alternative route to ease congestion.

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Nyesom Wike, the Minister of the Federal Capital Territory, FCT, needs to urgently address this issue by constructing alternative roads as provided in the Abuja Master Plan to reduce pressure on the existing road.

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Alice Morgan, a beauty specialist who commutes to the airport daily, emphasized the need for a new road, saying that sometimes she has to leave home as early as 5 am to avoid the alarming traffic on the road.

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Ali Ngume, a barber with a small boutique at the airport, also stressed the importance of constructing a new road to decongest the Airport Road and solve the problem once and for all.