News
Keffi Flyover To End Deadly Crashes After 225 Lives Lost
By Rotimi Ijikanmi
The Nasarawa Government says it is constructing a flyover at Total Junction, Keffi, to curb recurring crashes that have claimed 225 lives.
The government disclosed this during an inspection tour of projects by the Renewed Hope Ambassadors Presidential Media Team across Benue and Nasarawa states.
The News Agency of Nigeria (NAN) reports that the five-day tour was led by Mr Bayo Onanuga, Presidential Spokesperson, to inspect infrastructure projects.
Alhaji Wada Mohammed, Managing Director, Nasarawa State Urban Development Agency (NSUDA), said the flyover would be completed by the end of 2026.
Mohammed said the project became necessary because the Abuja-Keffi road had recorded frequent crashes due to its alignment and the junction’s configuration.
He said the flyover, including a circular intersection, would extend about one kilometre, with ramps adjusted to meet the required gradient and bridge headroom standards.
“Once completed, anyone travelling beyond Keffi will have no business at the ground level but will go over the flyover to a safer destination,” Mohammed said.
Mohammed attributed the project to improved federal funding, saying the state government was utilising available resources to execute projects benefiting residents and Nigerians.
Mr Ibrahim Adra, Chief Press Secretary to Gov. Abdullahi Sule, described the flyover as one of the administration’s legacy projects and an intervention on a federal highway.
Adra said the section had witnessed horrific crashes, including vehicles losing control and crashing into residential buildings, resulting in deaths and property destruction.
He said the project was part of the Nasarawa Economic Development Strategy, formulated after Sule conducted a statewide assessment shortly after assuming office.
According to him, the project will improve safety, ease traffic problems, stimulate business activities and enhance the aesthetic appeal of Keffi, a rapidly developing town.
Alhaji Shehu Alagbe, a resident and Total Filling Station dealer, said he had lived in Keffi for 45 years and witnessed frequent crashes at the junction.
Alagbe said crashes occurred regularly, with some incidents causing dozens of deaths, leaving residents traumatised and mourning victims for weeks.
He expressed optimism that the flyover would restore confidence among motorists, increase traffic and boost economic activities for businesses around the area.
Alagbe commended the Federal and Nasarawa governments for the project and prayed for its successful completion.
The flyover is expected to improve road safety, reduce fatalities, restore motorists’ confidence and strengthen commercial activities around Total Junction and other parts of Keffi.
NAN reports that the team also inspected the Makurdi-Jos Federal Highway, which connects with the Keffi-Akwanga Federal Highway at Akwanga Central.
The NSUDA boss said the Federal Government awarded the expansion and dualisation of the Keffi-Akwanga-Lafia-Makurdi road in 2021, but the scope bypassed Akwanga Township.
He said the state government constructed about four kilometres of road to connect the two federal highways through Akwanga Central, following increased traffic and congestion.
Mohammed said the government also constructed a 600-metre overhead structure to further decongest traffic, particularly following increased movement between southern Nigeria and the North-East.
According to him, motorists travelling from the South-East towards the North-East will use the underpass without intersecting traffic at grade, thereby improving movement through Akwanga limit.(NAN) (www.nannews.ng)
Edited by Funmilayo Adeyemi
Benue State Governor, Rev Fr Hyacinth Alia, has inaugurated the Tinubu/Alia 2027 Campaign Council as the All Progressives Congress, APC, in Benue begins preparations for the re-election of President Bola Ahmed Tinubu and Governor Alia in the 2027 general elections.
Alia said Nigeria and Benue State had no reason to look elsewhere, insisting that he was steadily delivering on his promises while President Tinubu was also making progress and providing relentless support to the state to regain its lost glory.
The Tinubu/Alia Campaign Council, which has Hon Citizen Richard Asema as Director-General, was inaugurated by the governor at IBB Square on Thursday. The event was followed by the commissioning of the President Bola Ahmed Tinubu Campaign Office at Wurukum, Makurdi.
Speaking during the occasion, Governor Alia charged members of the council to demonstrate unity, commitment and dedication, describing their appointments as a reflection of the confidence reposed in them by the party leadership and the people of Benue State.
The governor also urged party members in the state to put aside personal grievances, embrace reconciliation and work collectively towards securing victory for the APC in the forthcoming elections.
He described the Director-General, Citizen Asema, as an experienced political leader with the capacity to coordinate the campaign and deliver the desired result.
Highlighting his achievements in office, Governor Alia attributed the successes recorded by his administration in security, education, healthcare, infrastructure, agriculture and industrialisation to the cooperation and support of President Bola Ahmed Tinubu and the Federal Government.
He particularly acknowledged federal interventions that had strengthened security operations and supported efforts to restore peace to previously troubled communities in the state.
The governor also listed the recruitment of 9,700 primary school teachers, improvements in public school infrastructure, regular payment of salaries and pensions, road construction and the establishment of agricultural processing facilities among the achievements of his administration.
He noted that the partnership between the state and the federal government had contributed significantly to these developments.
On infrastructure, the governor disclosed that efforts to connect all 23 local government areas of the state through road networks were nearing completion, with approximately 25 per cent of the work remaining.
He also cited the revival and completion of previously abandoned projects, including Taraku Mills, the International Conference Centre at IBB Square and the Cancer Centre at the Benue State University Teaching Hospital, as evidence of his administration's commitment to continuity.
He promised that, if re-elected, he would concentrate on consolidating existing achievements rather than starting new projects from scratch.
According to the governor, his administration remained committed to implementing its development blueprint since assuming office in 2023 and would focus on sustaining ongoing initiatives, strengthening completed projects and ensuring that public investments delivered lasting benefits if re-elected in 2027.
In a statement by the Chief Press Secretary to the Governor, Sir Tersoo Kula, the governor further stated that industrialisation, agriculture and strategic investments in education, healthcare and commerce would remain central to his administration's determination to break the cycle of poverty and expand economic opportunities for the people.
He expressed confidence that Benue's enormous agricultural potential, coupled with its emerging oil and gas prospects, could provide the state with the resources needed to build a stronger economy and generate substantial internal revenue, thereby reducing its dependence on federal allocations.
Benue: Gov Alia inaugurates 2027 campaign council, says re-election will ensure sustainability
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