More Nigerians Bemoan State Of Roads

The new administration knows the challenge poor road network poses to the economy and social well being of the people, and is tackling it head-on as a matter of priority

The President, Institute of Freight Forwarders of Nigeria (IFFN), Mr Zebulon Ikokide, said the Lagos State Government should repair the roads leading to the two major ports, because it had been benefitting from the seaports by collecting wharf landing fees on all cargoes leaving the seaports.

He said the poor state of the roads had reduced the number of goods leaving the seaports, delayed ship berths and wasted importers’ time.

Ikokide noted with regret that on many occasions, container-laden trucks fell on the highway, with investors losing all they had worked for, adding that most often, such accidents had claimed lives.

Mr Ejike Mgbemena, Controller, Federal Ministry of Works, says contracts for the repair of federal roads in the state have just been awarded.

He said the Lagos-Abeokuta Express road had been re-awarded to Julius Berger Plc for complete refurbishment, and promised that work would soon commence on the project.

Mgbemena said contract for the second section of Apapa-Oshodi Expressway had also been awarded to Julius Berger Plc and work was ongoing.

He said contract for the Muritala Muhammed International Airport Road would soon be awarded, while contractors were already on site on the Lagos-Ikorodu Road.

NAN reports that most state and local government roads in Lagos are not faring better. The popular Ikorodu Road, from Ketu to Yaba, is, however, in a fairly good condition.

Mr Sunday Gabriel, a businessman who lives on Alagbado Road, near the border with Ogun, said roads in the area had been long overdue for repair.

He said the poor condition of the roads had contributed to so many accidents in the area.

The lack of fund has been blamed for the slow pace of construction on the Isheri Oshun-Ijegun Road by the HITECH Construction Company Ltd. A reliable source at the company told NAN that it could not help but slow down, because the fund needed for the rehabilitation had not been released by government.

Mr Gbenga Akintoba, the Executive Chairman, Lagos State Public Works Corporation, told NAN that the state had fixed 450 roads in the last 10 months.

He promised to make Lagos roads pothole-free by 2012. He said the focus of the corporation, for now, were the densely populated areas, such as Alimosho and Ikorodu that had the worst road network in the state.

Akintoba, however, admitted that as hard as the state and its agencies had worked in fixing the roads, many of them were still in poor condition.

He explained that the corporation had the largest asphalt plant in West Africa, with the capacity to produce 300 million tonnes annually.

This, he noted, would help the corporation with a 500-man workforce to achieve a pothole free Lagos by 2012.

The Osun State Government has voted N14.5 billion, representing 26.40

per cent of its 2011 capital budget to road rehabilitation.

Chief Abiodun Akintaro, the Permanent Secretary, Ministry of Finance, told NAN that government had made budget provision for the rehabilitation of some 30 road projects.

Some of the roads listed for rehabilitation include Ada-Igbajo-Oke Irun-Iresi network, linking Okuku, Inisa, Okua, Ekosin, Ekusa, Igbaye and Ira.

Others are the various zonal township roads, such as Ajaba-Ikoro, Osogbo, Ilesa, Iwo, Ede, Ife and Ikirun, among others.

Those to be constructed afresh are Ede-Kuta, Ilesa-Eisun-Ido Oko-Ibala-Ijana-Idoka, and the Ijjebu-Jesa-Ere-Ibokun Road.

Akintaro said Gov. Rauf Aregbesola had expressed his determination to fix most of the affected roads in order to ease transportation and boost the economy.

He said efforts would be made to execute some of the uncompleted road projects embarked upon by the immediate past administration in the current fiscal year.

NAN reports that although, the state has no road rehabilitation agency, the Ministry of Works collaborates with the Ministry of Finance to award and monitor road contracts.

Retired Col. Enibukun Oyewole, the Commandant, Osun youth Empowerment Scheme (OYES), told NAN that the adverse condition of the roads on the people’s socio-economic life called for immediate action.

He said this was why Aregbesola came up with a comprehensive list of bad roads that were earmarked for rehabilitation to ease transportation of farm produce from rural to urban centres.

Besides the conventional use of contractors, Oyewole said volunteers of the scheme were also involved in road rehabilitation projects, especially in the area of maintenance.

He said some of the volunteers were currently working on the Asejire Expressway, clearing gutters and road edges.

Mr Aina Babatunde, an engineer with FERMA, said there was enough proof of the agency’s presence in the state.

He listed road projects which he said the agency had carried out in the state to include the Ibadan-Ife dual carriage road, where line drain and bus culvert were constructed.

Others are Ife-Ilesa, Ilesa-Owena-Akure, Gbongan-Iwo and Gbongan Osogbo roads, where he said the agency had awarded and supervised drainage projects, construction of culverts and laying of asphalt.

Mr Tope Akadir, Assistant Controller, Federal Ministry of Works, said the ministry was doing its best to make the people have a feel of federal presence.

Mr Jadesola Adeoti, a peasant farmer at Owode area of Osogbo, scored the immediate past government low in the area of road projects, and urged the current  administration to improve on the sector.

He noted that the lack of good roads, especially in some rural areas linking Osogbo, had hindered transportation of farm produce.

Motorists and road users in Zamfara have decried the pathetic state of dilapidation of major intra-state road network linking local government headquarters with other parts of the state.

NAN reports that apart from Tsafe, Maru and Mafara Local Government Headquarters that enjoy Federal Government’s rehabilitation of the Funtua-Gusau-Sokoto highway, accessing other local government headquarters by road has remained a herculean task.

Abdullahi Yusuf, a commercial bus driver, told NAN that the entire road network in Zamfara had collapsed, noting that the immediate past administration in the state did not do much to improve the situation during its four year tenure.

“Just try to reach Kauran Namoda, Zurmi and Birnin Magaji, by road, or attempt to go to Gummi, through Anka-Bukkuyyum Road, you will ever regret going to those places because of bad roads.’’

Abubakar Sani, a resident of Gusau, the state capital,said that most roads within Gusau metropolis were begging for rehabilitation, while more roads needed to be constructed.

He cited as an example, the Lalan to Lalan Road on Sokoto Bye Pass in Gusau, which contract for dualisation was awarded to Habib Engineering Nigeria Ltd four years ago by the last administration in the state, but was abandoned at less than 50 per cent completion stage.

He said the road would have addressed traffic congestion in the state capital if government was interested in completing it.

The state government recently reviewed the road contract from N1.2 billion to N750 million, and reawarded it to the same firm with a marching order  that it should complete the project on schedule.

An official of the state ministry of works told  NAN that new administration in the state was aware of the challenging state of road network across the state and was addressing the issue.

“The new administration knows the challenge poor road network poses to the economy and social well being of the people, and is tackling it head-on as a matter of priority”.

NAN reports that between four and five hours are spent by motorists on the 200 kilometer Anka-Bukkuyyum-Gummi Road, which links the three local government headquarters with other parts of the state.  Residents of Ogun have lamented the deplorable condition of most of the inter-city roads in the state, calling on Gov. Ibikunle Amosun to carry out massive rehabilitation of the roads.

Some of the people who spoke with NAN, expressed regret that the situation had adversely affected the socio-economic life of the state.

They said that except concerted efforts were made by government to carry out a wholesale rehabilitation of the roads, the socio-economic life of the state might continue to be affected.

Mr Haruna Adekunjo, the NURTW Chairman, Kuto Motor Park, said members were recording huge cost of maintenance on their vehicles as a result of the poor condition of the roads.

He attributed the high cost of transportation to the huge amount being spent on  maintenance of vehicles.

Mr Rafiu Ayinla, a commercial vehicle driver, lamented the several accidents that the bad roads had caused, particularly at night.

Mrs Yewande Bello, a teacher, said that a lot of man-hour was being wasted before getting to their respective places of work, owing to traffic congestion caused by bad roads.

“Government should focus on massive road rehabilitation and reconstruction. This is the only way to put an end to the hardship being experienced by commuters.’’

NAN reports that Gov. Ibikunle Amosun had on June 29 while marking his 30 days in office, expressed concern over the state of the roads across Ogun.

This, he said, had spurred him into ordering that filling of potholes be commenced immediately on major roads within Abeokuta, the state capital.

Being the  concluding part of a survey by  NAN