Key Points

• Nigeria collapsing highways have turned travel into danger and despair.

• Motorists face rising deaths, insecurity, and costs on failed roads.

• Government blames poor funding for worsening national road conditions.

Across Nigeria, what should be vital arteries of commerce and connection have turned into corridors of agony.

From the red earth of Abia to the arid plains of Zamfara, federal highways are collapsing, leaving behind stranded motorists, broken vehicles, and grieving families.

For millions of Nigerians, travelling between states has become a test of endurance and luck — a dangerous gamble between gaping potholes, bandits, and neglect.

Despite federal promises and contract awards stretching back years, large portions of these roads remain impassable, choking movement and endangering lives.

South-East: Relief in patches, despair in stretches

In Abia State, residents recall how federal roads were once an endless series of craters and flooded gullies before the state government stepped in.

Under Governor Alex Otti, partial rehabilitation has brought some relief — particularly along the Mbaise-Umuahia Road, Port Harcourt Road in Aba, and the Ohafia-Arochukwu corridor.

Yet, the nightmare remains. The 50-kilometre Umuahia–Ikot Ekpene road, linking the South-East and South-South, is still riddled with dangerous potholes despite a federal contract awarded more than five years ago.

The contractor’s snail-paced work has forced the Abia government to make emergency interventions around Ndume and Ikwuano just to keep the route passable.

“The road is like a battlefield,” said Chinedu Okorie, a commercial driver in Umuahia. “You dodge one hole and fall into another. We’ve lost count of accidents.”

The Umuahia–Bende–Ohafia road, which passes through the home of Deputy Speaker Benjamin Kalu, tells a similar story.

A section of the Omenuko Bridge, once a death trap, was repaired through state intervention, but the larger stretch remains nearly impassable.

In Ebonyi, residents of Ohaukwu, Ikwo, and Afikpo describe life under siege from bad roads.

Protesters in Ntsuruakpa Izhia community blocked traffic earlier this year, demanding the federal government repair the Abakaliki–Enugu expressway.

“We’ve lost too many people to accidents,” said the traditional ruler, Eze Joseph Okafor. “Our people are dying on a road that should link us to opportunity.”

Farmers in Ikwo lament that their harvests now rot because they cannot access urban markets.

“We are cut off,” said community leader Chief Clement Orogbu. “Vehicles sink in the mud. It’s a death trap.”

North-Central: Fear and frustration on every route

In Nasarawa State, the Lafia–Assakio–Namu and Keffi–Nasarawa–Toto roads, once busy routes linking Abuja and Plateau, are now synonymous with danger.

Kidnappers and armed robbers exploit failed sections to ambush motorists.

“The road is our biggest enemy,” said Danladi Ibrahim, a trader from Akwanga. “Between potholes and bandits, you never know which one will kill you first.”

Drivers who should spend two hours from Lafia to Bokkos now waste up to eight hours navigating trenches and collapsed bridges.

The Keffi–Abaji corridor, meant to serve as a northern bypass, has degenerated so badly that locals describe it as a “write-off.”

In Kwara State, similar tales abound. The Ajase–Ijagbo–Erinle and Ilorin–Omu Aran–Egbe–Kabba routes have become nightmares for motorists.

“It’s like driving through war zones,” said Musa Salami, a commercial bus driver. The bad roads have also emboldened bandits, especially along the Shere–Patigi and Bode Saadu–Kaiama–Kosubosu routes, where attacks are frequent.

North-West: Roads of terror and abandonment

Zamfara’s 108-kilometre Gusau–Dansadau road, built in 1982, now lies in ruins — a relic of neglect and violence.

Huge craters mark every kilometre, forcing vehicles to crawl at walking speed. The road has become a haven for armed bandits, who kidnap travellers for ransom.

“It used to be the busiest road in our area,” said Auwal Dansadau, a resident. “Now, only the brave or the desperate risk it.”

Though state authorities recently announced a new construction contract, work remains slow, and locals say the insecurity keeps contractors away.

In Kebbi, most federal roads are in similar decay. Routes from Birnin Yauri to Rijau and Argungu to Bui are nearly unmotorable.

The state government has taken over sections like Argungu–Birnin Kebbi–Jega and Koko–Zuru, but the repairs are limited.

In Kano, the dualisation of the Kano–Gaya–Jigawa–Maiduguri road has been stalled for years. “Accidents happen every week,” said commuter Muntari Masanawa. “Contractors left, and nobody came back.”

North-East: Broken links, broken lives

In Borno and Yobe, where insurgency already isolates communities, collapsing roads compound the suffering.

The 185-kilometre Maiduguri–Damboa–Biu road snakes through the edges of Sambisa Forest and has been closed for years following terrorist attacks.

Even where reopened, deep gullies and failed bridges make it treacherous. Other critical highways like Maiduguri–Monguno–Kukawa and Biu–Buni Yadi–Damaturu are in similar ruin.

In Yobe, motorists describe the Damaturu–Biu and Potiskum–Gashua roads as “death routes.”

“The roads are gone,” said Ahmadu Musa, a union leader in Damaturu. “We patch our buses daily, but we cannot patch people’s lives.”

North-East: Taraba’s forgotten travellers

On Taraba’s Jalingo–Numan road, travellers recount hours of suffering. Despite repeated contract awards, the road remains abandoned.

Floods and erosion have eaten through the tarmac, turning the route into a muddy obstacle course.

“We spent five hours covering a distance that should take one,” said Christiana Babayo, who travelled from Numan to Jalingo. “It’s heartbreaking. Government has forgotten us.”

The Mayo-Selbe–Gembu road leading to the Mambilla Plateau tells a similar story.

Frequent breakdowns of heavy trucks block access to farms and markets, raising the cost of goods. “Transporting a bag of rice now costs more than growing it,” lamented farmer Bitrus Samaila.

North-Central: Niger’s tragic burden

No state bears Nigeria’s federal road crisis more heavily than Niger, which has more than 1,400 kilometres of federal highways — 80 percent of them in ruins.

From Jebba to Mokwa and down to Tegina and Kagara, the roads are littered with wrecked trucks and abandoned tankers. Bandits exploit the chaos, attacking travellers and blocking supply routes.

“Every night, we pray before leaving Minna,” said truck driver Hassan Abdullahi. “If the road doesn’t kill you, the bandits might.”

The Independent Petroleum Marketers Association of Nigeria recently appealed to Governor Mohammed Umaru Bago to reopen the long-blocked Lapai–Paiko and Minna–Bida roads, saying the closures have crippled fuel distribution across the North.

“Our trucks are stuck for days,” said IPMAN President Abubakar Maigandi. “Delivering products has become a nightmare.”

Plateau: The crossroads of pain

Plateau State, a strategic link between the North-Central and other regions, faces a similar ordeal.

The Jos–Abuja highway is riddled with deep potholes and collapsed sections. Repairs on portions of the Jos–Bauchi and Jos–Lafia corridors are incomplete, forcing long detours and raising transport fares.

“The cost of moving goods has doubled,” said Rebecca Nyango, a trader in Riyom. “Farmers lose vegetables daily. The roads are killing our economy.”

Officials of the Federal Roads Maintenance Agency (FERMA) admit that funds are scarce. “We patch what we can,” said Ayoola Bolaji, FERMA’s field engineer in Plateau.

“Only a few critical failed sections can be fixed within our budget.”

The ripple effect: Accidents, insecurity, and inflation

The consequences of Nigeria’s decaying road infrastructure stretch far beyond potholes. Each collapse cuts deeper into national productivity.

Transport costs rise. Goods arrive late. Vehicles wear out faster. Farmers lose harvests. And travellers risk their lives daily.

The poor condition of roads has also worsened insecurity, as criminals exploit isolated sections to ambush vehicles.

According to data from the Federal Road Safety Corps (FRSC), poor roads contribute to more than 40 percent of fatal crashes nationwide.

In states like Zamfara, Benue, and Borno, the combination of banditry and failed roads has turned travel into a deadly gamble.

Government’s defence: “Funds are the issue”

Officials of the Federal Ministry of Works admit the challenges but blame insufficient funding.

“We are aware of the condition of most highways,” said a senior ministry source. “Funding and weather damage have delayed interventions, but we’re prioritising the worst-hit areas.”

The government says several projects are ongoing — including sections of the Akwanga–Jos–Bauchi–Gombe highway, the Onitsha–Enugu expressway, and the Makurdi–Otukpo–Ninth Mile corridor. But on the ground, progress is slow, and Nigerians remain sceptical.

A highway system at breaking point

From the rain-drenched gullies of Abia to the dusty plains of Yobe, Nigeria’s federal roads mirror the state of the nation — worn down by time, neglect, and corruption.

Each pothole tells a story of abandoned contracts, unfulfilled promises, and the silent suffering of citizens who must move, no matter the risk.

For now, motorists navigate these “highways of horror” with prayers on their lips and repair kits in their boots — hoping, perhaps in vain, that one day the journey through Nigeria will no longer be a journey through pain.