Benue residents hold pool party in muddy waters to protest poor state of federal highway

Residents of Benue state have staged a pool party to protest over the Federal Government’s failure to the dilapidated Otukpo-Enugu Federal Highway.

In an effort to draw attention to the poor state of the group, the residents held a party inside muddy waters that gathered on the busy road.

Channels TV reports that it was also a way of celebrating the nation’s 2022 Independence Day anniversary, on October 1.

The protesters comprising young men and women used the unusual party to express concern over the neglect, and noted that their actions will snowball into blocking the road to motorists, especially government officials if nothing is done to mobilise the contractor handling the project back on site.

They raised an alarm about the dangerous state of the road, describing entire stretch from Otukpo through the heart of Ochi’doma place to Enugu roundabout as a death trap.

A truck driver named Nwakama, spoke on the matter and lamented about how the road has become an economic waste.

He further appealed to the Federal Government to save them from the huge loss of spilt petroleum products by fixing the road with urgency.

Photos making the rounds online shows the protesters holding placards with inscriptions that read; ‘Democracy has failed us’ and amongst others.

Construction work has been ongoing on the Enugu-Otukpo to Aliade road for almost a decade but there has not been much progress to fix the rot on the road which has claimed many lives.