Unsettled with series of setbacks suffered in the passage of the Federal Road Bill, and National Road Fund, an expert,  Engr. Charles Omordu, has urged President  Muhammadu Buhari to sign the National Road Fund and Federal Road Bills into law.
Omordu, former Director of Engineering in the Rivers State Mitnistry of Works,  in an interaction with The Tide, Monday, narrated how several attempts had been made in the past by the Executive branch of Government to reform the road sector but all to no avail.
This explanation, he said the 8th National Assembly decided, early 2016, “to take the bull by the horns by embarking on a holistic reform of the transportation sector with the participation of all relevant stakeholders, resulting in the bills that emerged from its chambers”.
These bills, he explained, were subsequently reviewed and passed by the current 9th National Assembly, noting that if strategically implemented, the bills will catalyse the diversification and expansion of Nigeria’s economy.
Omordu, who is also a Fellow of the Nigerian Society of Engineers (NSE), explained that NSE and other stakeholders served on two technical committees, amongst others, “to ensure that the Road Sector Reform Bills, National Road Fund and Federal Road Bills were professionally drafted to stimulate a holistic transportation system, which would have guaranteed the sustainable wellness and economic competitiveness of Nigeria in the sector.
“The technical committee also re-created the road transport mode which would be a formidable force for re-inventing the economy of Nigeria.
“Signing the bills into law, and giving required approvals, will expedite and professionally guide the implementation of the Transport Sector Reform Bills passed by the 9th National Assembly”, he said.
He disclosed that an effective and efficient transportation system is a catalyst for accelerated socio-economic development in any nation.
According to him, there are evidence-based studies that had confirmed that the absence of a sustained, coordinated and inter-modal management of the transportation systems in any nation contributed about 25 to 30 per cent to the cost of production of goods and services in such countries.
“For more than four decades, Nigeria has failed to carry out a holistic reform of the transport sector, in spite of numerous attempts by various governments and stakeholders to champion policies, bills and programmes aimed at the remarking of the sector.
“The damage this unfortunate scenario has inflicted on the socio-economic growth and development of Nigeria has been serious and colossal, and the 9th National Assembly recognised the compelling need to find solutions to the mitigating factors that had stalled the reform of the transport sector and, therefore, embarked upon a robust programme to ensure the passage of  the relevant bills.
“Unfortunately, the bills were not assented to by Mr President during the 8th National Assembly. It is, therefore, reassuring that the 9th National Assembly has successfully passed all the Bills, and it’s necessary that Mr President give speed assent to it”, he said.
He also noted that  it had become pertinent to put together a taskforce on transport sector reform with membership drawn from all the relevant public and private sector organs, including the states.

By: Corlins Walter