Commuters in Anambra, Ebonyi and Enugu have urged the Federal and State governments to prioritise fixing of dilapidated roads instead of building new ones, especially as the yuletide is fast approaching.
They made the call in a survey by the News Agency of Nigeria (NAN) on the deteriorating state of roads in Nigeria and needs for maintenance.
NAN reports that some spots and portions of Enugu-Aba-Port Harcourt Expressway, the Enugu-Awka-Onitsha Expressway, 9th Mile-Nsukka and 9th Mile-Udi-Oji River-Amansea Old Road among others, have failed.
These spots and portions are currently causing traffic gridlocks and carnage of trucks and articulated vehicles conveying goods leading to financial losses and endangering lives of Nigerians that ply on these roads.
Mr Olu Omotayo, President of Civil Rights Realisation and Advancement Network (CRRAN), told NAN in Enugu that most of the existing old roads within the length and breadth of the country nationwide are near impassable.
Omotayo said the development discourages transportation of goods and humans as well as increased cost of goods.
He said: “I cannot get the rationale behind the wisdom of the government to start building new roads, when the existing ones have failed in every part of the country you go.
“One should think that it might be more reasonable to first fix the existing roads our people are using daily before going into building new ones and spending hugely on them.
“December is always a busy time for most roads. With what we have now, if the roads are not given palliative attention, it will lead to an increase in cost of goods and nightmares to Nigerians that will travel.”
A commercial motorist, Mr Jude Onu, appealed to the federal and State governments to declare a state of emergency on failed roads to ameliorate the suffering of Nigerians and save commercial vehicles the daily and continuous wear-and-tear on the roads.
Mrs Cordelia Ukwu, a businesswoman, called on President Bola Tinubu; Minister of Work, Chief David Umahi and Federal Emergency Roads Maintenance Agency (FERMA) to urgently declare emergency palliative repairs on most federal roads in the South East.
“Instead of acting as a smooth link, some of the failed spots and portions of these roads have made the road near impassable and difficult to ply on,” he said.
She, however, urged the minister to ensure the completion of the collapsed bridge on the Enugu axis of the Enugu-Port Harcourt Expressway which had been under reconstruction for over a year now.
Another commercial truck driver, Mr Chisom Ikedife, noted that the bad portions on roads cause trucks and articulated vehicles to burn expensive diesel waiting in traffic gridlocks.
“These failed portions of the Federal Roads, when fixed, will ameliorate hardships we pass through buying very expensive diesel needed to power our trucks,” Ikedife said.
Some eoad users and residents of Abakaliki, Ebonyi capital have also called for more improvement in repair of the nation’s highways to ease vehicular movement during and after the Christmas and New Year celebrations.
NAN observed that some portions on Abakaliki-Afikpo, Sperando axis and Abakaliki-Enugu expressway are undergoing some repairs.
Mr Philip Nweke, a legal practitioner, said to address the issue of bad roads across states of the federation requires a multifaceted approach that includes planning and real maintenance.
Nweke said road rehabilitations should be undertaken with adequate consideration for commuters, businesses, and the economy of every state and nation at large.
On causes of bad roads, Nweke said there are various reasons including poor drainage, breaking of roads for installation of cables and poor project executions, among others.
“Yes, we Nigerians lack a maintenance culture and you know very well that maintaining the condition of roads encounters huge challenges.
“Such challenges may include inadequate financing, poor construction and environmental factors,” he added.
Mr Stanley Mbam, Commissioner for Works in Ebonyi State, however, assured that some roads linking neighbouring States like Abia and Cross River are receiving proper maintenance.
Mbam maintained that Ebonyi remains one of the States with good and quality roads in the country, stressing that “there are no bad roads in the State.
According to him, there are already ongoing repairs on the bad spots of our roads, especially now that Christmas is approaching.
Mr Chukwuemeka Mbam, Ebonyi Chairman of the National Union of Road Transport Workers (NURTW), urged the federal and state government to go beyond repair on the nation’s highways to curtail crashes during and after the Christmas season.
On what should be done to address the deteriorating state of roads in the country, the Chairman called for periodical review of the roads and stakeholders involvement in all states of the federation.
According to Mbam, maintaining the road should not be left only in the hands of the contractors.
“The stakeholders should be involved, like the traditional rulers, youth leaders to ensure quality work and proper supervision.
“Here in Ebonyi, we enjoy good roads, though our members’ jobs are not only in Ebonyi; we move round the country, especially as the Christmas and New Year draw closer,” he said.
A commercial bus driver, Nwankpa Okorie decried the way federal roads are neglected in terms of repairs.
Okorie urged more priority to road maintenance, suggesting that an adequate budget should be made to improve on road maintenance.
He, therefore commended the current Minister of Works, Sen David Umahi for his commitment to construction of portable roads for the citizenry.
