Hand over federal roads to states for real accountability – Duke

From Aniekan Aniekan, Calabar

The Vice-Chairman of the Cross River State Planning Commission, Dr. Bong Duke, called on the federal government to hand over management of federal roads to state authorities.

Dr. Duke spoke at a one-day public lecture on “People-Governance Policy” organised by the Good Governance Advocacy International (GGAI) in Calabar, to mark the golden age of its Director General Leonard Anyogo.

He said the transfer would improve accountability and force governors to answer for road conditions in their respective states.

“Why do we have federal roads? As a planner I do not support the idea of federal roads,” he said.

“When will the road user in Ikom go to Abuja to hold the works minister accountable? The road is called a federal road but the state government is doing interventions.

“Rural people do not distinguish between federal and state roads; they blame the governor for bad conditions. These roads should be given to the states so they can be held accountable.”

Dr Duke added that the current administration’s programmes are designed to be people-centric and judged by impact.

“Projects without direct impact on the people are useless,” he stressed, urging priority for initiatives that create real value.

Leonard Anyogo, Director-General of GGAI, said policy crises lead to poor leadership and underdevelopment, which prompted the lecture’s theme.

“Good governance is not rocket science; it is about policies that improve citizens’ quality of life,” he said.