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BREAKING: Travellers Lament Over Abuja-Kaduna Gridlock Ahead of Eid
Thousands of travellers heading to northern Nigeria for the Eid-el-Kabir celebrations have remained stranded for hours along the Abuja–Kaduna Highway following a severe gridlock that has persisted since Monday.
The congestion, which affected both private and commercial vehicles, was blamed on increased festive traffic, ongoing road construction, and heavy rainfall along the corridor.
Many commuters narrated harrowing experiences as journeys that normally take less than three hours stretched into an all-day ordeal.
“Flight from Kano to Lagos is about half a million naira, which I can’t afford. I decided to travel by road, and this is where I ended up, spending more than six hours,” said Muhammad Musa, one of the stranded travellers.
Another commuter, Kabiru Abdullahi, lamented the slow movement of vehicles, saying: “Since yesterday, we have been on the road from Abuja to Kano, and we have not even reached Jere because of the heavy traffic gridlock.”
A social media user, Aboubacar Sani Sabo, also decried the condition of the highway, writing: “Three days and the Abuja–Kaduna Highway has been in gridlock. You can leave Kaduna by 5 a.m. and arrive in Abuja by 7:30 p.m. using a private car and not public transport. Government couldn’t fix that road. Shame!”
In response to the situation, the Federal Road Safety Corps (FRSC) issued a travel advisory urging motorists to use the Kachia–Bwari route as an alternative to the congested Abuja–Kaduna Highway.
The corps attributed the traffic build-up to the surge in vehicular movement ahead of the Sallah celebrations, compounded by road construction activities and rainfall disrupting traffic flow.
Meanwhile, the Federal Government directed the immediate reopening of all sections of the Abuja–Kaduna–Kano Road currently under construction to ease the hardship faced by commuters.
The Minister of Works, David Umahi, gave the directive to the contractor handling the project, Infiouest Nigeria Limited, as part of measures aimed at reducing congestion and improving safety along the busy highway during the festive period.
According to a statement issued on Monday by the minister’s Senior Special Assistant on Media, Francis Nwaze, the decision became necessary to ensure smoother vehicular movement for the large number of travellers expected to use the road for the Eid-el-Kabir celebrations.
The statement added that the minister had also been briefed about an earlier accident along the corridor, noting that the obstruction caused by the incident had been cleared to restore the flow of traffic.
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Breaking: Nigerian Workers Demand N300,000 Minimum Wage, FG Faces Fresh Salary Pressure
The Federal Workers Forum, FWF, has demanded an immediate increase in the federal minimum wage from N70,000 to N300,000, noting that the current salary structure can no longer sustain civil servants amid Nigeria’s rising cost of living.
The Forum made the demand in a letter dated September 2, 2026, addressed to President Bola Ahmed Tinubu and the National Assembly, with the Senate President, Speaker of the House of Representatives, Chief Justice of Nigeria and Head of the Civil Service of the Federation listed among the recipients.
The workers also proposed a new salary structure that would place the highest-paid Level 17 officer on a monthly salary of N1.5 million, while Level 1 Step 1 workers would earn N300,000.
“We call for justice and immediate wage review now, adjust the federal minimum wage to N300,000 and a maximum wage of N1.5m for the Level 17 officers,” the Forum said.
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The FWF argued that the Federal Government had not fully implemented the 2024 minimum wage agreement, claiming that federal workers had yet to receive the full consequential adjustment and associated allowances.
“It will surprise you to hear that the Federal Government has not fully implemented the new national minimum wage since July 2024. We have been in the battle for full consequential adjustment of the new minimum wage,” it said.
Recall that the Nigeria Labour Congress, NLC, in August 2026, demanded an upward review of the minimum wage to N500,000.
In July 2024, President Bola Tinubu’s government increased the minimum wage to N70,000 per month from N30,000.
However, the cost of living for many Nigerians has tripled between 2024 and 2026.
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The Federal Government has said Nigeria will never support a military coup or any unconstitutional change of government, following claims that the country backed a failed coup attempt in the Niger Republic.
The Minister of State for Foreign Affairs, Sola Enikanolaiye, made this known in a statement issued on Thursday.
According to the statement, the claims circulating on social media are baseless and misleading.
Enikanolaiye said Nigeria remained committed to democracy, constitutional rule and political stability in West Africa and would not support any attempt to remove a government through unconstitutional means.
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“Nigeria will never support illegality or unconstitutional change of government anywhere, no matter who is involved or which country is concerned,” he said.
The minister also rejected claims that Nigeria, through its membership of the Economic Community of West African States (ECOWAS), supported or endorsed the military takeover in Niger.
He said the Federal Government had already stated its position on the situation in Niger in an earlier statement issued by the Ministry of Foreign Affairs on August 30, 2026.
According to him, Nigeria remains deeply concerned about developments in Niger and wants the country to return peacefully to stability and constitutional order.
Enikanolaiye said Nigeria’s close historical, cultural and fraternal ties with Niger made peace and stability in the neighbouring country particularly important.
“Nigerians at home and abroad should disregard the videos and narratives circulating online, they are intended to create confusion and tarnish Nigeria’s image,” the statement said.
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