By Anthony Obi
the Netherland Ambassador to Nigeria, Mr. John Groffen, has disclosed that the largest part of Federal Government’s spending should go to building and maintaining roads around the country. He made this disclosure while commissioning OPIC Roads 1&3, Area 4, Agbara Estate, Ogun State, a project done by the Ogun State Property and Investment Corporation (OPIC), in partnership with Road Rapid.
His words: “In my past four years that I have served as Ambassador of The Netherland to Nigeria, I have traveled extensively in this country, most of the times by plane but I also traveled thousands of miles by car. And even though I prefer to travel by car, most of the trips are not comfortable.
We are in the rainy season and I don’t have to tell you the effect continuous rains can have on roads. If these roads are not repaired quickly and regularly maintained they would deteriorate to a level that they would become almost unusable. And giving the size of Nigeria and the need for road transport, it is logical that the large part of the government spending goes to building and maintaining roads.”
He stated that with the partnership OPIC entered with the Road Rapid, a Dutch company, the state would experience more good roads constructed with their products.
The managing director of OPIC, Mr. Babajide Odusolu, stated that it was the first major road to be treated with Road Rapid products in order to have a durable, all-year-round roads with conviction that it would last through six rainy seasons. He noted that the commitments of his organization at piloting the scheme was taken to save costs and targeted to attract more investors to the state.