Fixing dilapidated federal roads

In his resolve to develop the nation’s road infrastructure, President Bola Ahmed Tinubu has approved the repair of over 260 federal roads in the 36 states and the Federal Capital Territory (FCT), Abuja. According to the Minister of Works, Senator Dave Umahi, the project will cost about N217 billion.

The intervention will cover the resurfacing of the Third Mainland Bridge and the construction of Lekki Deep Seaport road in Lagos; reconstruction of two collapsed bridges in Enugu and the reconstruction of two locations on the Onitsha-Owerri road. The repairs include the upgrading of the Abuja-Keffi-Akwanga-Lafia road, the dualisation of the Lafia by-pass, among others.

Besides, the federal government had earlier given contractors handling abandoned federal roads 14-day ultimatum to return to site or face the revocation of the contracts. Although giving them ultimatum is good, the government should also find out why the projects were abandoned in the first place.

Were the contracts awarded to political friends and allies of the party in power or to qualified road construction professionals? Henceforth, government should pay adequate attention to how contracts are awarded as well as the supervision of roads under construction or rehabilitation. Let the government remove the inherent corruption in the award of contracts. We believe that the lax in the award of contracts and poor supervision make the contractors to either abandon the work or do a shoddy job. We want Umahi to change the ugly narrative associated with road construction in the country.

It is laudable that the president has approved the repair of these dilapidated federal roads across the country. We call for early release of the fund earmarked for the project as well as its timely execution. Since Umahi has been speaking of having durable and concrete roads that will last for many years, he should ensure that these roads are of high quality.

He should use these roads to show example. The minister has recently blamed the poor quality of federal roads on the use of asphalt/bitumen instead of using cement in road construction. Umahi is bitter that no existing federal road can last up to seven years. This can further explain why most federal roads in the South and North Central are riddled with potholes.

The federal highways in most states of the federation are currently deathtraps, while some have completely caved in or been washed off. The entire stretch of Lokoja-Abuja Expressway, the Onitsha-Enugu-Makurdi highway and sections of Owerri-Onitsha road have deteriorated. The Benin By-pass and the Umuahia-Arochukwu-Ohafia road are dilapidated just as many Nigerian bridges.

The road rehabilitation exercise should not be a matter of political patronage. The work should be given to tested and qualified contractors. The work should also be effectively monitored and supervised.  Without adequate supervision, the contractors are most likely to do poor quality jobs.

Moreover, the importance of good roads can hardly be overemphasised. Having a good network of roads facilitates easy movement of goods and services. We enjoin the governors to emulate the president and repair the roads in their states. The governors should lay emphasis on the development of rural roads. The quickest way to develop the country is to develop the rural areas. This can only be done by building more durable rural roads that will enable rural dwellers, farmers and small business owners to move their goods from one part of the country to another.    

Apart from repairing federal roads and bridges across the country, we urge the president to also pay attention to the development of other modes of transportation such as the railways and water transportation. There is also the need to link all the six geo-political zones with railways. This will encourage trade and easy movement of goods and services across the country.

Developing the railways will accelerate the economic development of the country more than the current reliance on road infrastructure. Apart from proving a speedy means of transportation, it will create jobs and help in the development of the hinterland. A functional railway system across the country will reduce the pressure on the roads and contribute so much to the nation’s socio-economic development.

The movement of containers and even petrol tankers can be done seamlessly through the railways instead of roads. Also, the development of water transportation will also lessen the pressure on the roads as well as contribute to the economic development of the country. Let the federal and state governments work together to develop the railway system and water transportation.