Governor Nasir El-Rufai of Kaduna State has dismissed the assertion by the Senate that the Abuja-Kaduna Expressway is the most dangerous road in the country, saying the road is now safe for travellers.
El-Rufa’i stated this when he addressed State House Correspondents after a closed door meeting with President Muhammadu Buhari at the Presidential Villa, Abuja.
The Senate had on May 8 described the Abuja-Kaduna Expressway as the most dangerous road in Africa due to the activities of kidnappers and armed bandits operating on the expressway.
Senator Shehu Sani, representing Kaduna Central Senatorial District, had while contributing to a motion on: “Urgent need to increase the number of coaches on the Abuja-Kaduna railway line,” labeled the aforementioned highway as one of the most dangerous in Africa.
In his contribution, Senator James Manager countered, saying the highway was not one of the most dangerous but the most dangerous road in Africa.
However, El-Rufai said: “If you believe everything that comes out of the Nigeria’s Senate, you will have serious mental health problems.
“There are things that I said there that are just for the gallery, for the media.
“I don’t know what statistics that were used to determine that the Abuja-Kaduna road is the most dangerous road anywhere – I like fact, I like using figures, I wish the people that said that would produce figures.
“I’m saying that no matter what anybody said last week, I’m assuring Nigerians that the Abuja-Kaduna road is quite safe now and will be so following the measures put in place by the various security agencies.
The governor, who said he was not assuring absolute safety for travellers plying the road, maintained that only God can guarantee total safety.
“But I’m saying, as the governor of the state, based on the security measures put in place, I’m confident that the road is safe and I drive on that road,” he stated.
