The House of Representatives, Wednesday, urged the Federal Ministry of Works, in collaboration with the Federal Capital Territory Administration (FCTA), to undertake a comprehensive technical and engineering feasibility study on the development of an alternative access road linking the Keffi-Karu axis to the Abuja city centre, including possible alignments through Mpape, Asokoro or any other technically suitable corridor.
The call was consequent upon the adoption of a motion sponsored by Hon. Amos Gwamna Magaji (APC, Kaduna) at the plenary presided over by Deputy Speaker Benjamin Kalu.
In adopting the motion, the House mandated its Committees on Federal Capital Territory and Works to engage relevant stakeholders, including the Federal Ministry of Works, Federal Capital Territory (FCTA), Office of the National Security Adviser, Federal Ministry of Defence and the Nigerian Army, to assess the strategic, security and economic implications of the current access limitation.
The committees are to report within four (4) weeks for further legislative action.
Presenting the motion, Hon. Magaji noted that the Federal Capital Territory (FCT), Abuja, serves as the seat of government and the administrative nerve centre of the country, and is now experiencing an increase in population, economic activities, and vehicular movement.
He said the principal gateway into the FCT from the North-East and parts of the North-Central geopolitical zones, including Nasarawa, Benue, Plateau, Taraba, Bauchi States and northern Cross River State, is through the Keffi-Karu corridor.
He further noted that unlike other major entry points into the FCT, which have alternative access routes capable of providing relief during emergencies, traffic disruptions, security breaches, or infrastructure failures, the Keffi-Karu corridor depends on a single access route into the FCT.
The lawmaker observed that disruptions from accidents, natural disasters, infrastructure collapse, security threats, or maintenance can significantly hinder the movement of people, goods, security personnel, and emergency services into the Federal Capital Territory.
According to him, the absence of an alternative route poses major strategic and security vulnerabilities, considering the critical national institutions located within the FCT and the need for uninterrupted access during emergencies.
“Concerned that the Guards Brigade, which is saddled with the responsibility of securing the Federal Capital Territory (FCT), has one of its component units, the 177 Guards Battalion, located in Keffi.
“This implies that the Battalion may not be able to reinforce other troops in the FCT city centre promptly in the event of an emergency, especially if the Keffi–Karu route has been blocked or breached by deliberate sabotage or a natural occurrence that cannot be remedied immediately.
“Also concerned that the increasing volume of traffic along the Keffi-Karu route has outpaced the available infrastructure, resulting in recurring congestion and avoidable hardships for commuters and businesses”.
The motion was unanimously passed.
