The Government of Kogi State has commenced repairs on dilapidated portions of the Ganaja Road which has been a source of worry and anguish for commuters and travelers. This much has been welcomed by relieved commuters and travelers who ply on the busy road which serves as both the connection to various residential areas within the city as well as its outskirts, but also connects travellers from both northern and southern parts of the country to Kogi East and beyond to the eastern and south eastern parts of the country. But, contrary to what is being peddled on the social media, only a very small fraction of the bad portions were being patched with concrete, and the quality of the work is so poor that portions done have started to crack and fall apart.

Being a very busy road, only one side of it is being used for many months now as the one part of it is either being closed for construction which has yet to commence in full scale, or too bad to be managed by motorists. Drainages were cleared when it was expected that the president may visit for the commissioning of the Ajaokuta-Kaduna-Kano AKK Gas Pipeline project, and some parts close to the Ganaja Roundabout were patched with concrete. But, according to eye witnesses, the places patched with concrete have since started breaking apart once again.

In order to confirm this, our correspondence engaged in a video chat with a resident living in an area close to the road. He confirmed that no serious work has begun on the road yet, saying that the little that was done was in expectation of the visit of president Muhammadu Buhari and the works have since been halted after the president chose to flag off the AKK project through online communication.

Sadly, a resident on the way to church this morning got fatally hit by a vehicle while crossing the busy lane.

The road is believed to be a Federal Road hence the hesitation by the State Government to take the responsibility of rehabilitating it. It leads to Ajaokuta and other parts of Kogi East. There are several civil and public service housing estates dotted on it, including the popular 500 Units Housing Estate. There are also several other private estates on the Ajaokuta Road axis. As well as the private owned Salem University on the outskirts of Lokoja city.

Other notable place on the Ganaja Road is the state government owned Confluence Beach Hotel, an edifice meant to be a 7-Star hotel but has suffered from project neglect. It is the idea of late Prince Abubakar Audu during his first administration as governor in the 1990s. Since he left office not much has been done on the asset.

The road holds an important value to both the State and Federal governments and the sooner it is taken as a priority, the better.