The National President of the Nigerian Institution of Electrical and Electronic Engineers, Mr Adekunle Makinde, on Sunday decried poor maintenance of infrastructure in the country.

Makinde said on telephone that the nation’s infrastructure had suffered poor maintenance over the years.

He said that poor maintenance of roads and street lights had caused many accidents.

“We have preventive, curative and turn around maintenance.

“Some of the maintenance should be scheduled; that is why they are called routine maintenance.

“There are some cables that must be removed from the ground after sometime, whether they are in good condition or not.

“Some of the street light filaments or bulbs must be changed after sometime whether they are working or not because there is a life span for them.

“We know a lot of accidents that would have been averted by having street lights on.

“The lights will prevent people from being knocked down and vehicles veering off the roads,’’ he said.

He said that roads should be regularly monitored by relevant government agencies, and that faults should addressed in time to avoid such faults developing into death traps.

Makinde urged the three tiers of government to award contracts to only professionals for maximum results.

He alleged that contracts were being awarded on sentiments rather than adherence to standard procedures.

The engineer advised that road contracts should be awarded to firms with good track records to avoid compromising standards.

Makinde also advised governments to seek the support of professional bodies while awarding contracts to promote standards.

He urged that certified Nigerian engineers should be allowed to partake in execution of major government projects that had to do with engineering.