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When the Federal Government announces holidays to mark the Muslim Sallah celebrations this weekend, many Nigerians will travel to their hometowns to see family and friends. As is often the case, there will be mass movement of people from the Federal Capital Territory (FCT), Abuja down South.   Most FCT residents are expected to travel to cities and towns in the South West like Lagos , Ibadan , Oyo, Abeokuta , Ife and the rest of them. The Muslim festival is coming barely a month before the Christian celebration of Christmas which precedes the New Year festivities. Therefore, the former will be a good rehearsal for travellers that will pass through the deplorable roads starting from Abuja through Lokoja, Ekiti and Osun states. Unlike what happened this time last year when the Federal Road Maintenance Agency (FERMA) was busy mending bad portions of the federal highways ahead of the year’s festivities, that has not been the case this year, as those roads have further deteriorated. The only reprieve for any traveller from Abuja is the Abuja-Lokoja stretch which is barely motorable. After Lokoja town and depending on the alternative route the traveller chooses, the roads are in bad shape. If one is to go through Obajana to link Kabba and Ekiti, the roads are in much worse condition. A commercial transporter, Tijani, was all sighs when asked to comment on his expectations about the anticipated festivities when the roads would be busy. He said “we don’t know how we are going to survive. Last year, we saw government making some attempts to repair the bad spots but this year, we have not seen them.” In his estimation, even if government has plans to do anything, it is too late because “they cannot do much between now and December. We are only praying that God will see us through this period.” According to Tijani, “we have to be on the road because that is our only work. We are not even sure of what will happen to petrol prices. Only God can help us in this country.” Like him, a civil servant who regularly travels to Lagos once a month but asked for anonymity recalled that “two months ago when I went to Lagos through Ekiti, the roads were a bit okay. But last month when I travelled, I could not believe the state of the roads. The Ekiti roads which were better before and made the journey much faster have worsened. I have been having nightmares on how to go about travelling to Lagos to see my family next month.” He explained that for that reason, he had decided to shelve travelling this month because “it is better I save my money and spend the Muslim holidays in Abuja . I cannot see myself going through the agonies of the bad roads in two months.” Sade, a muslim food vendor in Lugbe, who claimed she had never missed traveling to her hometown Osun for Sallah, lamented that the mere thought of the roads has been disturbing her peace of mind. This, coupled with the incessant fuel scarcity, she noted, could compound her woes as she may have to part with extra money in anticipation that commercial vehicles could hike fares. “my sister who paid me a visit last month complained of the bad state of the roads leading to our town in Ede . I am confused because I don’t know how much I am going to pay for transport fare with my children this weekend, but I can’t stay in Abuja for the Sallah,” she declared. Those are the frustrations of the few travellers who are anticipating hard times as they prepare for the Sallah and Christmas festivities, but the fact remains that despite their plight, life goes on.