Residents of Bonny in Rivers State are in for a trekking marathon as not less than 10 roads critical to commuting in Bonny Main Town will be closed to traffic due to the visit of the Minister of the Federal Capital Territory (FCT), Nyesom Wike.
In a statement on Tuesday, January 6, 2026 by the Chief Press Secretary to the Bonny LGA Chairman, Wisdom Chapp-Jumbo, the Bonny Local Government announced that traffic would be diverted from the SDP junction in Akiama Community to Mission Road as from midnight Wednesday, January 7, 2026.
“The Bonny Local Government Authority hereby informs the general public, especially residents and motorists, of a temporary traffic diversion along Hospital Road, from the Bonny Roundabout to SDP Junction area effective midnight on Wednesday, January 7, 2026.”
Checks by Kristina Reports indicate that the diversion implies that traffic would be diverted away from Hospital Road towards the gate of the Bonny Oil and Gas Terminal (BOGT) all the way down the King Perekule Road into New Jerusalem Road and out to SDP junction.
This plan effectively shuts down traffic on not less than 10 roads including Hospital Road, Vitch Street, Mammy Market Street, Pipeline Road, Ibaningo Street, Ukpo Avenue, New Layout Road, Moore Jackson Road, Macaulay Street I, Macaulay Street II and King Jaja Street.
The statement said the decision to divert the traffic, which would subject residents to the harrowing experience of trekking long distances during the FCT Minister’s visit, was approved by the Chairman, Abinye Pepple, shortly after a Security Council meeting on Tuesday.
Chapp-Jumbo further informed that the plan is to “facilitate the successful hosting of the Political Leader of Rivers State, His Excellency, Chief Barrister Nyesom Ezenwo Wike”.
He added that “motorists accessing Hospital Road, are advised to use SDP Road as an alternative route to connect Mission Road to Coal Beach and Court Road”, urging residents and road users to ensure strict compliance with the traffic arrangements.
The “Thank You” tour of the FCT Minister, which was triggered by the recent defection of the Rivers State Governor, Siminalayi Fubara, to the All Progressives Congress (APC) has continued to generate resentment amongst residents of the State.
Some residents who spoke with Kristina Reports expressed pain and frustration over the traffic restrictions, lamenting that they will now have to trek long distances to their places of work and business, thus subjecting them to undue hardship.
A seamstress, who only identified herself as Dora, wondered “how am I now going to trek from Iwoama where I live to Macaulay where my shop is? How do I do that?”
A painter, Osagie, told Kristina Reports that “imagine say I dey go do work wey them just give me for Ukpo Avenue, now I go get to trek from Ayambo go reach there. Which kain suffer be this?”
For a mini bus driver who does commercial business, Idaerefigha John, it was more of a query; “wetin Wike wan come do for Bonny? When e be governor, e no visit Bonny one day, e no do anything for Bonny people, wetin e wan come do now wey we go suffer for am like this?”