The Minister of Works, David Umahi, announced last week that it requires a total of N217 billion to reconstruct 260 roads and eight bridges throughout Nigeria.
Umahi made this statement during the inauguration of four road project committees in Abuja on Thursday.
The purpose of these committees is to oversee the maintenance of the roads and ensure that contractors fulfill their contractual obligations.
The committees will monitor the reconstruction of the Benin-Warri Dual Carriageway (Section I, II, and III) and the dualisation of East-West Road Section III: Port Harcourt (Eleme Junction) Oone Port Junction road in Rivers State.
Umahi’s job is cut out for him. As of 2018, the total length of Federal Government roads was 36,000 kilometers.
Roads in asphaltic concrete made up around 24,000 kilometers of the total network, some 5,800 kilometers were made of gravel or earth while 6,000 kilometers were surface-dressed roads.
These roads are constructed and maintained through the Federal Ministry of Works and the Federal Roads Maintenance Agency.
Former Minister of Works and Housing, Babatunde Fashola, in October last year said the President Muhammadu Buhari-led government was able to construct and complete over 8,352.94 kilometres of roads nationwide.
However, while the effects of some of these completed roads are noticeable, others are not.
What is undeniable is that there is increasing dilapidation of Nigeria’s road infrastructure. And it cuts across the six geopolitical zones, leaving some of them in a deplorable and pathetic state.
These roads are essential for inter-state commerce and activities, being the major source of transportation of goods and services.
It is no news that Nigerian roads are generally in a bad state. Either they are left abandoned halfway, deteriorating, or left to become progressively worse than their initial state due to a lack of maintenance.
Most roads constructed by the Nigerian government/or corporate individuals in the late 80s and 90s are already deteriorating due to poor maintenance amid the poor construction.
Newly constructed roads take no time to deface due to the low-budget materials used during construction.
Despite the heavy budget allocated annually to infrastructural development projects, much is yet to be seen on how the conditions of our roads justify their fiscal allocations.
Another major contributor to the deteriorating state of roads in Nigeria is the lack of clear jurisdiction and responsibility for maintenance and rehabilitation.
Often, these roads are jointly owned by the state and Federal Governments, and while state-maintained sections may be relatively well-paved; those under federal jurisdiction are riddled with dangerous potholes, posing life-threatening dangers to road users.
State governors are hesitant to fix federal roads due to the complex reimbursement processes. Fashola had warned states against fixing federal roads. He cited exorbitant claims made by governors after repairing federal roads in their states as the reason behind this directive.
“Bad road networks are highly characteristic of the Nigerian state”
This predicament leaves public infrastructures, especially road infrastructures across the country in disarray, ultimately burdening innocent citizens.
In April, just before former President Buhari left office, the Minister of State for Budget and National Planning, Clem Agba, disclosed approval had been given for the reconstruction of the Benin, Sapele, and Warri road, following a Federal Executive Council meeting.
The Minister outlined that specific sections of the road had been sanctioned for refurbishment under the Federal Government Road Infrastructure Development and Refurbishment Investment Tax Credit, facilitated by the Nigerian National Petroleum Company Limited.
Section one, spanning 28.275 kilometres from Benin to Imasabor, was awarded to Messrs Levant Construction Company Limited for a sum of N98.9 billion, with a completion period of 24 months.
Section two, covering a distance of 38.525 kilometres from Imasabor to Ibada Elume, was contracted to Messrs GELD Construction Company Limited/Triata Limited for a total of N127.6 billion, and with a 36-month completion period.
Section three, spanning 23.2 kilometres from Ibada Elume to Warri, was awarded to Messrs SKECC Nigeria Limited for a sum of N89.1 billion, and a 42-month completion period.
Strangely, the contractors are yet to mobilise to site and the delay in repairs of the road increases the dangers faced by road users, which hampers economic progress and development.
Umahi had recently directed all contractors working on Federal Government highways nationwide to halt the use of asphalt and transition to utilising concrete technology for road construction.
Umahi further instructed these contractors to collaborate with engineers from the ministry to reconfigure all ongoing Federal Government road projects, aligning them with the specifications of concrete technology.
As a result, several existing highway construction projects nationwide have been put on hold.
Over the years, citizens have been subjected to gruesome experiences plying these roads. Many have lost loved ones, valuables among other things to accidents that regularly occur due to the decaying state of the roads.
Bad road networks are highly characteristic of the Nigerian state.
Most deaths and injuries from road accidents mainly spring from bad roads in the country.
The increased burden from road traffic injuries and deaths is partly due to economic development, leading to vehicle increases on our roads.
According to statistics, Nigeria ranks first in Africa with the worst, unmotorable road networks, capping it with the highest number of accidents and deaths.
Practically every Nigerian and every sector of the Nigerian economy relies on one form of transportation or the other, with the road being the most utilized means.
Therefore, a good road network where commuters arrive at their destination without bad road-related delays is crucial.
Apart from ensuring the safety of lives, a seamless transfer of goods to foster economic progress is assured.
No doubt good roads facilitate the flexibility and mobility of the workforce from one end to the other. It also lowers production costs and raises productivity, especially in the agriculture sector.
In this sector, the transportation of products from the farm to consumers as an important factor in the production chain cannot be overemphasized.
In the industrial sector, however, good roads are required to close the gap between the place of production and final consumption. There is a strong connection between road transportation and economic growth in Nigeria.
Additionally, other means of transportation such as water, rails, and airways should be looked into, thus, reducing the burdens on our roads.
More efforts to ensure good roads in Nigeria should be encouraged.
Our maintenance culture needs to be improved to avoid the progressive deterioration of the few good roads.
