The Delta State Traffic Management Authority (DESMA) said it has deployed over 700 officers to complement efforts of the police and the Federal Road Safety Corps (FRSC) in the control of traffic at the Asaba end of the River Niger Head Bridge.
The measure is to ensure a steady flow of vehicular traffic on the aging bridge during the yuletide.
In previous years, traffic gridlock on the bridge was a major challenge with commuters failing to get to their desired destination for the Christmas and New Year celebrations with their families.
Director-General of DESTMA, Azubike Idah, who announced the deployment in Asaba, also gave an update on the traffic situation in the eastern corridor from Issele Azagba to Onitsha bridgehead.
According to him, “We have resolved that there will be no roadblock, from toll gate of Delta side to Upper Iweka in Anambra. No checkpoint of any sort, and there will be no police activity.
“In all the bottlenecks, we have Army, Police, Civil Defense, road safety, and DESTMA. The army will pull a greater punch when it comes to enforcement, but we told them to be in the background. They are the last resort.”
He said inflow and outflow of traffic on the bridge would maintain a single lane, and that heavy and light-duty tow trucks would be on standby to remove disabled vehicles.
The DESTMA boss urged Very Important Personalities (VIPs) to discourage their drivers from driving against traffic.
Saying that both and Delta and Anambra states resolved to dismantle all roadblocks, Idah added that all Internally Generated Revenue (IGR) activities within the immediate vicinity of the bridge have been suspended.
Idah said his men will be on duty throughout the festive period as an essential service providers, adding that officers who failed to report to duty would be sanctioned.
“I hold the record of initially suspending salaries, but now, stopping salaries. We need to do something to make people conform. The disciplinary measure is a continuous thing, am not boasting about.
