Governor Babagana Zulum of Borno State has decried the overloading of many trucks plying federal border roads to Chad and Cameroon.
According to him, excessive loading of trucks with over 100 metric tonnes of industrial and household goods on the Maiduguri-Gambouru Road is economic sabotage.
Decrying the abuse of federal roads, yesterday, on Gambouru town, he disclosed: “Excessive loading of trucks with goods destroys the roads and poses economic sabotage.
“Overload of trucks undermines the Federal Government’s efforts to improve and expand the state’s infrastructure in the transport sector of the economy,” noting that overloading hinders economic progress and development of the state.
On the state of roads, he said: “It is sad to note what has been happening on the federal border roads to Cameroon, Chad and Niger.
“You can see trailers loaded with over 2,000 bags of cement or sugar. That entails over 100 tonnes of industrial and household goods. This trend is applicable to the affected border roads to the neighbouring countries.”
He decried that the 135-kilometre Maiduguri/Gambouru/Ngala road has been destroyed with the excessive loading of trucks.
The governor reiterated the threat to public safety posed by overloaded trucks on the affected roads.
“There is increased risk of accidents by the overloaded trucks drivers,” he said, stressing the need for strict enforcement of trucks’ weighing regulations on each vehicle crossing bridges.
He said the weighing enforcement could protect both federal and state roads, as well as people’s lives.
“The bridge linking the Gambouru border area and other neighbouring countries was affected and about to collapse,” he warned.
The state government, he noted, plans to collaborate with relevant federal agencies to address the deteriorating state of border roads.
“A multifaceted approach has been mapped out, including the enforcement of weight restrictions, with theimplementation of penalties forviolators,” he said.
Zulum added that weight stations would be established at strategic points along major transportation routes.
He, however, noted that despite government’s commitment to enhancing trans-border trade, appropriate measures would be implemented to maintain the road network.
Meanwhile, the governor lauded the Federal Government’s effect in rehabilitating failed roads in the state.
