Issues
More Nigerians Bemoan State Of Roads
The new administration knows the challenge poor road network poses to the economy and social well being of the people, and is tackling it head-on as a matter of priority
The President, Institute of Freight Forwarders of Nigeria (IFFN), Mr Zebulon Ikokide, said the Lagos State Government should repair the roads leading to the two major ports, because it had been benefitting from the seaports by collecting wharf landing fees on all cargoes leaving the seaports.
He said the poor state of the roads had reduced the number of goods leaving the seaports, delayed ship berths and wasted importers’ time.
Ikokide noted with regret that on many occasions, container-laden trucks fell on the highway, with investors losing all they had worked for, adding that most often, such accidents had claimed lives.
Mr Ejike Mgbemena, Controller, Federal Ministry of Works, says contracts for the repair of federal roads in the state have just been awarded.
He said the Lagos-Abeokuta Express road had been re-awarded to Julius Berger Plc for complete refurbishment, and promised that work would soon commence on the project.
Mgbemena said contract for the second section of Apapa-Oshodi Expressway had also been awarded to Julius Berger Plc and work was ongoing.
He said contract for the Muritala Muhammed International Airport Road would soon be awarded, while contractors were already on site on the Lagos-Ikorodu Road.
NAN reports that most state and local government roads in Lagos are not faring better. The popular Ikorodu Road, from Ketu to Yaba, is, however, in a fairly good condition.
Mr Sunday Gabriel, a businessman who lives on Alagbado Road, near the border with Ogun, said roads in the area had been long overdue for repair.
He said the poor condition of the roads had contributed to so many accidents in the area.
The lack of fund has been blamed for the slow pace of construction on the Isheri Oshun-Ijegun Road by the HITECH Construction Company Ltd. A reliable source at the company told NAN that it could not help but slow down, because the fund needed for the rehabilitation had not been released by government.
Mr Gbenga Akintoba, the Executive Chairman, Lagos State Public Works Corporation, told NAN that the state had fixed 450 roads in the last 10 months.
He promised to make Lagos roads pothole-free by 2012. He said the focus of the corporation, for now, were the densely populated areas, such as Alimosho and Ikorodu that had the worst road network in the state.
Akintoba, however, admitted that as hard as the state and its agencies had worked in fixing the roads, many of them were still in poor condition.
He explained that the corporation had the largest asphalt plant in West Africa, with the capacity to produce 300 million tonnes annually.
This, he noted, would help the corporation with a 500-man workforce to achieve a pothole free Lagos by 2012.
The Osun State Government has voted N14.5 billion, representing 26.40
per cent of its 2011 capital budget to road rehabilitation.
Chief Abiodun Akintaro, the Permanent Secretary, Ministry of Finance, told NAN that government had made budget provision for the rehabilitation of some 30 road projects.
Some of the roads listed for rehabilitation include Ada-Igbajo-Oke Irun-Iresi network, linking Okuku, Inisa, Okua, Ekosin, Ekusa, Igbaye and Ira.
Others are the various zonal township roads, such as Ajaba-Ikoro, Osogbo, Ilesa, Iwo, Ede, Ife and Ikirun, among others.
Those to be constructed afresh are Ede-Kuta, Ilesa-Eisun-Ido Oko-Ibala-Ijana-Idoka, and the Ijjebu-Jesa-Ere-Ibokun Road.
Akintaro said Gov. Rauf Aregbesola had expressed his determination to fix most of the affected roads in order to ease transportation and boost the economy.
He said efforts would be made to execute some of the uncompleted road projects embarked upon by the immediate past administration in the current fiscal year.
NAN reports that although, the state has no road rehabilitation agency, the Ministry of Works collaborates with the Ministry of Finance to award and monitor road contracts.
Retired Col. Enibukun Oyewole, the Commandant, Osun youth Empowerment Scheme (OYES), told NAN that the adverse condition of the roads on the people’s socio-economic life called for immediate action.
He said this was why Aregbesola came up with a comprehensive list of bad roads that were earmarked for rehabilitation to ease transportation of farm produce from rural to urban centres.
Besides the conventional use of contractors, Oyewole said volunteers of the scheme were also involved in road rehabilitation projects, especially in the area of maintenance.
He said some of the volunteers were currently working on the Asejire Expressway, clearing gutters and road edges.
Mr Aina Babatunde, an engineer with FERMA, said there was enough proof of the agency’s presence in the state.
He listed road projects which he said the agency had carried out in the state to include the Ibadan-Ife dual carriage road, where line drain and bus culvert were constructed.
Others are Ife-Ilesa, Ilesa-Owena-Akure, Gbongan-Iwo and Gbongan Osogbo roads, where he said the agency had awarded and supervised drainage projects, construction of culverts and laying of asphalt.
Mr Tope Akadir, Assistant Controller, Federal Ministry of Works, said the ministry was doing its best to make the people have a feel of federal presence.
Mr Jadesola Adeoti, a peasant farmer at Owode area of Osogbo, scored the immediate past government low in the area of road projects, and urged the current administration to improve on the sector.
He noted that the lack of good roads, especially in some rural areas linking Osogbo, had hindered transportation of farm produce.
Motorists and road users in Zamfara have decried the pathetic state of dilapidation of major intra-state road network linking local government headquarters with other parts of the state.
NAN reports that apart from Tsafe, Maru and Mafara Local Government Headquarters that enjoy Federal Government’s rehabilitation of the Funtua-Gusau-Sokoto highway, accessing other local government headquarters by road has remained a herculean task.
Abdullahi Yusuf, a commercial bus driver, told NAN that the entire road network in Zamfara had collapsed, noting that the immediate past administration in the state did not do much to improve the situation during its four year tenure.
“Just try to reach Kauran Namoda, Zurmi and Birnin Magaji, by road, or attempt to go to Gummi, through Anka-Bukkuyyum Road, you will ever regret going to those places because of bad roads.’’
Abubakar Sani, a resident of Gusau, the state capital,said that most roads within Gusau metropolis were begging for rehabilitation, while more roads needed to be constructed.
He cited as an example, the Lalan to Lalan Road on Sokoto Bye Pass in Gusau, which contract for dualisation was awarded to Habib Engineering Nigeria Ltd four years ago by the last administration in the state, but was abandoned at less than 50 per cent completion stage.
He said the road would have addressed traffic congestion in the state capital if government was interested in completing it.
The state government recently reviewed the road contract from N1.2 billion to N750 million, and reawarded it to the same firm with a marching order that it should complete the project on schedule.
An official of the state ministry of works told NAN that new administration in the state was aware of the challenging state of road network across the state and was addressing the issue.
“The new administration knows the challenge poor road network poses to the economy and social well being of the people, and is tackling it head-on as a matter of priority”.
NAN reports that between four and five hours are spent by motorists on the 200 kilometer Anka-Bukkuyyum-Gummi Road, which links the three local government headquarters with other parts of the state. Residents of Ogun have lamented the deplorable condition of most of the inter-city roads in the state, calling on Gov. Ibikunle Amosun to carry out massive rehabilitation of the roads.
Some of the people who spoke with NAN, expressed regret that the situation had adversely affected the socio-economic life of the state.
They said that except concerted efforts were made by government to carry out a wholesale rehabilitation of the roads, the socio-economic life of the state might continue to be affected.
Mr Haruna Adekunjo, the NURTW Chairman, Kuto Motor Park, said members were recording huge cost of maintenance on their vehicles as a result of the poor condition of the roads.
He attributed the high cost of transportation to the huge amount being spent on maintenance of vehicles.
Mr Rafiu Ayinla, a commercial vehicle driver, lamented the several accidents that the bad roads had caused, particularly at night.
Mrs Yewande Bello, a teacher, said that a lot of man-hour was being wasted before getting to their respective places of work, owing to traffic congestion caused by bad roads.
“Government should focus on massive road rehabilitation and reconstruction. This is the only way to put an end to the hardship being experienced by commuters.’’
NAN reports that Gov. Ibikunle Amosun had on June 29 while marking his 30 days in office, expressed concern over the state of the roads across Ogun.
This, he said, had spurred him into ordering that filling of potholes be commenced immediately on major roads within Abeokuta, the state capital.
Being the concluding part of a survey by NAN
This is an open letter to the Minister of the Federal Capital Territory, Chief Nyesom Wike.
Your Excellency,
Sir, ordinarily, I would not be writing an open letter to you, but like a wise man once said, “Silence would be Treason.” So I prefer to stay alive than face the consequences of silence in the face of crime. With each passing day, and as the socio-political tides continue to turn, it has become more pertinent that more people speak up in a concerted MANNER to prevent the death of our party, the Peoples Democratic Party (PDP), as we appear to be, in the words of W. B. Yeats, “turning and turning in the widening gyre” heading for an end where the falcon will no longer hear the falconer
It is unfortunate that since losing control of the Federal Government, with the loss of President Goodluck Jonathan at the poll in 2015, our party, the Peoples Democratic Party (PDP), has continued on a downward spiral. It is much more painful, that where it is expected that leaders within the party should rise to the challenge and put an end to this decline of our great party, some have instead taken up roles as its undertaker.
It will be hypocritical to claim aloofness to what I believe is your grouse with the PDP and I am not a hypocrite. It will be uncharitable on my part to discountenance the role you have played in strengthening the PDP from 2015 up until the last Presidential primaries of the party. It is my belief that your grouse against certain members of the party who you perceived worked against the party and abandoned it in 2015 and then came around much later to take control of the party, is justified. Also know that your decision to remain in the Party and stifle its progress on the other hand, as a sort of payback, stands condemned. For a man of your pedigree and stature, it is a dishonorable act, highly dishonorable and stands as testimony against all you claim to stand for.
At least, it can be argued that those who you hold this grudge against, abandoned the party completely and did not sit back while actively working to destroy it from within. But what then can be the argument on your own part, seeing that those you are currently working with against your party are the same people who set in motion, and executed surgically, the plans that not only ended our Party’s leadership at the centre, but ended up dislodging the first Niger Deltan to occupy Aso Rock as Commander in Chief of the Armed Forces. Is this not akin to “cutting off one’s nose to spite one’s face?” That will be worse than folly. Let us not throw away the baby with the bath water because we do not like the soap used in bathing the baby. It will be a grave mistake.
Honourable Minister, sir, it is rather unfortunate that of all people, you have also decided to play the role of an undertaker not only for our party, but for our dear Rivers State.
I will like to take you down memory lane a little. Let me remind you of your emergence as Guber candidate of the PDP in Rivers State, against all fairness and justice in 2014. You will remember that despite the reality being that you as an Ikwerre man was poised to replace a fellow Ikwerre man in Governor Chibuike Rotimi Amaechi in our multiethnic state, Rivers people overwhelmingly stood by you and pushed for your emergence as Executive Governor of Rivers State in 2015. I dare say that your popularity in the entire Niger Delta region was at an all-time high at this point.
I want you to understand why you were loved across board leading to your eventual emergence as Governor of Rivers State in 2015; it was because when it looked like all were against the second term ambitions of the first Niger Delta man to emerge as President of Nigeria, you became not just a pillar but a beacon of resistance by standing for Goodluck Jonathan. Rivers people, as grateful and rewarding as they can be, paid you back by ensuring your electoral victory against the incumbent All Progressives Congress (APC) led by your predecessor. On your emergence, where there were second term Governors in the region, you, a first term Governor, was seen by the people as not just the leader of the PDP, but the leader of the entire Niger Delta region. You earned it, and no one could dispute it.
In 2019, when your re-election bid was being challenged ferociously, Rivers people once again stood solidly behind you. Many were killed in the process of defending your votes. Do you remember Dr. Ferry Gberegbe that was shot and killed while trying to protect your votes in Khana Local Government Area? There are many more unnamed and unrecognised sons and daughters of Rivers State who sacrificed their lives so that you could emerge as a second term Governor of Rivers State.
In 2022/23, Honourable Minister, you oversaw a party primary across board that saw some candidates imprisoned and internal party democracy jettisoned for your wishes, leading to the emergence of flag bearers of our party all singlehandedly picked by you. You have on more than one occasion publicly stated that you paid for all their forms. Even those shortchanged in this process licked their wounds and continued to play their roles as party members to ensure the success of the party at all levels. In what will go down as one of the most keenly contested elections in recent Rivers history, with formidable candidates like Senator Magnus Abe of the Social Democratic Party (SDP), Mr Tonye Cole of the All Progressives Congress (APC), and the vibrant youth driven Labour Party (LP), PDP emerged victorious across board except for Phalga Constituency 1 that was lost to the Labour Party. (Not that you did not loose in some other LGA’s but let’s stick to the official figures declared by INEC).
It begs the question, why then do you want to burn down Rivers State, when everyone who now holds political office emerged through a process designed and endorsed by you? Is it that you do not care about Rivers people and you are all about yourself? If so, I am forced to believe that those around you are not telling you the truth. The truth being that in a state where your words were law; where houses and businesses could be demolished or closed down without any recourse to legalities, where Executive Orders could be deployed to stifle the opposition, that your popularity is now at an all-time low. Probably because they are afraid of you, or of losing the benefits they gain from you, they fail to tell you that what you might perceive as a battle against your successor, has slowly but gradually degenerating into a battle against Rivers State and Rivers people. You know, there is a popular saying that, a man can cook for the community and the community will finish the food, but when a community decides to cook for one man, the reverse is the case.
LEAVE FUBARA ALONE
You have gone on and on about being betrayed by Governor Siminalayi Fubara. You point fingers forgetting that some of those same fingers quick to spot betrayals point straight back at you. It is not Governor Fubara that has betrayed the PDP by working against it in the just concluded General Election, and working with the opposition at the State and Federal level to destabilise the party. It is you, Honourable Minister. It is not Governor Fubara that betrayed Rivers people by instigating a political crisis with propensity to escalate ethnic tensions in Rivers State. It is you Honourable Minister. It is not Governor Fubara that has declared himself God over all in Rivers State and has no qualms with burning the state to the ground to prove a point. It is you Honourable Minister. It is you Honourable Minister who told the world that the APC was a cancer and you can never support a cancerous party. It is you Honourable Minister who ended up facilitating the emergence of the same “cancerous” APC that has accelerated the economic decline of this country and further impoverished our people with no remorse. All so you can be a Minister of the Federal Capital Territory? The lack of self awareness is gobsmacking.
Some days back I came across a video where you talked about death and how you do not cry when you hear about the death of some people because you have no idea what might have caused it considering many a politician swear “over dead bodies” and still go back on their words. Those words made me think, and I could see the reason behind them. You see, in chosing to be God in the affairs of Rivers people, you have closed your eyes and ears to reason; you see nothing and hear nothing that can cause you to rethink on the path you have chosen. In your quest to “show Fubara” you have unwittingly united a vast majority of Rivers people behind him, so much that even those who despised him because of you, now like or love him, because of you too. In your scheming, I will advise you not to forget that “the voice of the people is the voice of God”.
Note that the war which you have or are waging against Governor Fubara, has gone beyond being merely political as you might see in your minds eye. It is now one that, fortunately for some and unfortunately for others, has evolved into a war against Rivers people. It is good to point out that no one has taken a stand against Rivers people and won. No one has gone against God and won. In your defiant characteristic manner, it will be unfortunate if you believe your own hubris and that of those around you on the possibility of you being the first to successfully go against Rivers people. It will be a needless gamble; one where if you win you create more enemies for yourself than you can withstand on your political journey, and if you lose, your legacy becomes an inglorious and irredeemable one in Rivers State, the Niger Delta, and Nigeria at large. For your sake as regards posterity, it is my greatest wish that you have a moment of sobriety and a deep reflection and introspection on this path you have chosen.
Honourable Minister, sir, what is left of your legacy is on the brink of being completely desecrated and relegated to the dustbin of our political history, and it will be a sad end to what I will say has been a wonderful political career that many can only dream of. The ball is in your court, and may God Almighty have mercy on us all and forgive us for our shortcomings.
Gabriel Baritulem Pidomson
Dr Pidomson is former Chief of Staff, Government House, Port Harcourt and former member, Rivers State House of Assembly.
In 2015, I made a conscious decision to invest my financial resources, my time, and energy into supporting Nyesom Wike’s gubernatorial campaign. I poured my heart and soul into ensuring Nyesom Wike emerged victorious even at the risk of my personal safety.
Again in 2019, I doubled down on my commitment. I invested a significant amount of money to procure campaign outfits for all twenty-three Local Governments Areas of Rivers State. I spared no expense in supplementing Wike’s election efforts in my own local government, and once again putting myself at great risk to safeguard the fairness and transparency of the electoral process.
However, despite my unwavering loyalty and sacrifices, I found myself abandoned and forgotten by Wike. Throughout his eight-year tenure, he failed to acknowledge my contributions or fulfill his promises and agreements. Even as a former Deputy Governor, Wike denied me my severance benefit.
My investment in Wike’s governorship was not just financial – it was a commitment of passion, dedication, and belief in a better future for Rivers State. Yet, his leadership style of dishonesty, greed, drunkenness and rash abuse of senior citizens brought me nothing but disappointment, misery and losses.
By the grace of God, today I speak not as a victim, but as a hero. I have accepted my losses, and I have moved on. And as I reflect on my experience, I cannot help but urge Wike to do the same and allow peace and development to reign in Rivers State.
Nyesom Wike, when you speak of investing in Governor Sim Fubara’s election, remember those like me who also invested in you. Remember the sacrifices I made, the risks I took, and the promises and agreements you left unfulfilled.
It is time for you, Wike, to let go of the past and allow Governor Sim Fubara the breathing space he needs to lead Rivers State forward. Allow him to focus on the challenges of good governance and the aspirations of the people. Spare him these unwarranted and ill-conceived political manoeuvrings founded on personal agenda and not for general good of Rivers State and her people.
I may have lost my investment on Wike, but I have not lost hope in the future of Rivers State. And together, we will continue to strive for a brighter tomorrow.
Long Live the Governor to Rivers State, Sir Siminialayi Fubara!
Long Live the Good People of Rivers State!!
Long Live the Federal Republic of Nigeria!!!
Engr Ikuru is former Deputy Governor of Rivers State.
Tele Ikuru
