The Kogi state government has opened up a five-kilometre alternate route in Nyamanyama village on Ganaja-Ajaokuta Road to serve as a bypass in case the main Ganaja Road becomes impassable due to flooding.

Governor Ahmed Ododo recently directed the state Flood Disaster Response Team to immediately open up an alternate route to the main Ganaja Road.

This, he said, was to ensure that motorists do not suffer from the hardship of possible blockage of the main road by the increasing level of flood waters in the area.

The governor reiterated his administration’s commitment to ensuring that motorists and passengers were not subjected to extreme difficulty on the road.

The state’s deputy governor, Joel Salifu, xhairman of the Flood Disaster Response Team, led the team to inspect the construction of the road on Sunday in Lokoja.

He said that the team had responded swiftly to the governor’s directive to open up an alternate road in the area.

He maintained that the move was to ameliorate the possible hardship that people could face should the main Ganaja road be obstructed by flood as the waters approached the danger threshold.

Also, Mohammed Yusuf, the commissioner for works and member of the team, expressed satisfaction with the progress of work on the road.

He said that the measure had shown responsive governance on the part of the governor.

Kingsley Fanwo, the commissioner for information and communications, who spoke to newsmen after the inspection visit, said that the flood had reached a devastating stage.

He noted that the popular Ganaja-Ajaokuta Road remained the gateway to the south-east and south-south of Nigeria and was used by hundreds of thousands of commuters every day.

“Over the years, commuters went through hell on that road during a flood. However, this measure is no doubt a saviour.

“We have already started seeing the devastating effects of the flood, with properties worth billions being destroyed. Farmlands and other valuables have been washed away.

“Only 25 per cent of Ibaji Local Government is above water level at the moment. The remaining 75 per cent is under the water.

“Also, the entire Kupa District has been submerged. Ajaokuta, Gegu, Edeha and many other communities are already counting their losses.

“We are calling on the federal government to come to the aid of Kogi. Our resources are overstretched as we strive to save the situation,” he said.

(NAN)