Abuja – Most federal and state-owned roads are gradually turning into death-traps despite the billions of naira earmarked for their maintenance every year.
A survey conducted by the News Agency of Nigeria (NAN) revealed that most of the roads across the 36 states of the federation were un-passable due to years of neglect.
A cross section of road users who spoke with NAN in separate interviews decried the situation and called on the authorities to declare an emergency on the road sector nationwide.
Dr Bassey Umoh, Chairman of the South-South Peoples Assembly, described the Calabar-Akpabuyo-Ikang road as very dangerous and a death-trap.
“The road is becoming worse by the day. It is now a death-trap. FERMA said they would do something but for how long, as I talk to you now, nothing has been done.
“It is a shame that this road that links Nigeria with Cameroun should be in this kind of deplorable state and nothing is being done about it.
“The economy of the people is suffering. The people can no longer convey their agricultural products to Calabar Urban because of the poor state of this road, ‘’ Umoh said.
Mr Emem Eduok, a commuter, also said that unless something was done urgently, the Calabar-Itu highway might collapse as the rainy season sets in.
“From the present state of the Calabar-Itu federal highway, if nothing is done in this dry season, I doubt if this road would survive the rainy season. It is just too bad, ‘’ he said.
Mr Moses Ezeh, a driver with Peace Mass Transit Company, expressed similar concern.
“Calabar roads are bad, especially at Ugep-Biase-Akamkpa axis, it destroys our buses and that is why I do not want to ply Calabar.
“Any time I come to Calabar, when I go back to Enugu I must visit our mechanic workshop and this takes man-hours, which is not good for our work.
“The more time you spend in the mechanic workshop, the more money you lose, so, they should do something about the roads, ‘’ Ezeh said.
However, Reginald Nwanebu, an Engineer, and Cross River Director of Federal Roads Maintenance Agency (FERMA), attributed the delay in the rehabilitation of bad roads in the state to the non-passage of the 2016 budget.
“We believe that as soon as the budget is passed, work will start on most of the roads.
‘’As you know we depend on availability of funds because we cannot work without money.
“We do not generate revenue, so as soon as funds are available contractors would be mobilised to the various portions of the roads, ‘’ Nwanebu said.
In Gombe, investigations revealed that a substantial stretch of the 535kms of federal roads spread across the state was in bad shape.
They include the Gombe-Biu road, Gombe-Yola road and Gombe-Potiskum roads.
Alhaji Ibrahim Bala, Chairman of National Union of Road Transport Workers (NURTW) in the state, urged the Federal Government to step up effort at rehabilitating the roads to ease transportation of goods and services and reduce accidents.
Commenting on the situation, Mr Sulaiman Mohammed, the officer in charge of Federal Road Maintenance Agency (FERMA) in the state, however, assured that with adequate funding of the agency’s activities, the bad roads would be properly fixed.
“We are hoping the government will give us resources, once there are resources the road would be in order to motorists”, he said.
The situation is also not significantly different in Zamfara as some of the federal and state-owned roads in the state are also un-passable.
For example, a cross section of commercial drivers who spoke with NAN in Gusau, listed Mafara- Bakura, Maru – Mayanchi, Tsafe – Zaria, Gusau- Kano as some of the bad roads in dire need of urgent repairs in the state.
Malam Bashir Abdullahi, a commercial driver in the state, pleaded with the authorities to repair the affected bad roads in order to make driving more easier for them and reduce accidents.
Yusuf Waziri, an Engineer, and official of the Zamfara Ministry of Works, however, said that the Gusau-Kaura Namoda and Kaura Namoda – Zurmi roads along Katsina State border were in good shape.
He, however, admitted that Wasagu- Dangulbi, Tsafe – Gyouriya as well as Anka – Dangulbi roads were un-passable.
In the same vein, Engr. Adamu Gulma, an official of the Federal Road Maintenance Agency (FERMA) in the state, said that there were 923 federal roads in the state, adding that the Gusau -Talata Mafara federal road was particularly in bad shape.
From the South-West zone, investigations revealed that FERMA and many of the state governments in the zone had been battling to ensure that the bad roads were put in good shape in spite of paucity of funds.
For example, in Ibadan, Mr Francis Ishabiyi, the Oyo State Controller of FERMA, said the agency had been able to carry out some road repairs in spite of financial challenges.
“FERMA’s duty is not to construct roads, but to carry out maintenance assignments. So, in view of this, the agency has carried out some road repairs in the state.
“Some of these repairs include sections of the Oyo-Iseyin, Ago-Are-Saki road, Ibadan-Oyo New Road and the Ibadan-Ife road.
“Others are the Ogbomoso-Igbeti road, Ibadan-Bakatari Road –Ijebu Ode border and also Oyo-Ogbomoso Old Road,” Ishabiyi said.
Ishabiyi, however, said that the agency could not work on the Lagos-Ibadan Expressway because the contract had been awarded to Julius Berger and RCC.
The FERMA controller also said funds had been a serious limitation to its repairs efforts.
“ FERMA’s activities have been hindered by inadequate funds,’’ he said.
He, however, promised that some critical portions on the Ibadan-Oyo Road would soon be addressed to make it smooth for road users.
Ishabiyi’s pledge came on the heels of complaints by transporters that many of the roads had become death traps.
Mr Timothy Olaniya, the NURTW Chairman, Ijebu Unity Challenge area of Ibadan, specifically cited the Ajire, Kabori section on the Ibadan—Ijebu-Ode road as deplorable.
Olaniya said that the pot holes on the Ibadan-Ijebu-Ode Road and the Lagos-Ibadan express way were deep and needed urgent attention to avoid loss of lives.
In their contributions, Mr Adeniran Olanipekun and Mrs Idayat Agubiade, all motorists, called on government to compel the contractor handling the new Oyo- Ogbomoso expressway to return to site.
In Abeokuta, Ogun, Alex Masoya, FERMA’s Project Manager, said construction and rehabilitation work on federal roads in the state had been put on hold for between six and nine months due to paucity of funds.
“Presently, there is no ongoing work on all federal roads in Ogun for close to nine months now due to paucity of fund.
“All the contractors have moved out of site because they have not been paid.
“We have only been engaging in palliative measures from time to time.
“Immediately the budget is passed and implemented, work will resume,” Masoya said.
Masoya listed the 44km Sagamu – Papalanto road, 21km Sagamu – Ikorodu road, 64km Abeokuta – Sango Ota road and 97km Sagamu – Ajebandele – Ore road, as some of the worst roads in need of urgent rehabilitation the state.
He said that FEMA had been doing some patch work on the Sagamu – Ajebandele road, adding that it was by direct labour.
Suggesting ways to generate funds to ensure sustainable road maintenance, he called for introduction of toll gates, adding that people would be ready to pay if the roads were good.
“I support toll gates because I believe if the roads are good, motorists will be willing to pay for the toll gates.
“Now that the economy of the country is dwindling, I think if the toll gates are functioning, it will help.
“It will assist in rehabilitation of most of these roads without even waiting for the budget,” he said.
From Ogun, Mr Sunday Yeye, the Secretary of NURTW, Ogun chapter, advised that government at all levels should be responsible for road construction and maintenance.
Yeye advised that the state governments should not wait for the Federal Government to construct its roads, just as the local governments should not make it the state’s business to maintain roads in their areas.
Mr Suraj Biliamin, a motorist who plies Abeokuta-Ikorodu interstate road, recalled that
the Ikorodu-Sagamu road had not been renovated since 1976 when it was constructed.
‘’If government can fix the road properly, then create a toll gate before Sagamu, it will help generate revenue for maintenance,” he said.
But in Ilorin, FERMA says it is committed to the task of rehabilitating 984 kilometres of federal roads this year.
Babatunde Ige, FERMA’s Chief Engineer in the state, told NAN in Ilorin that the agency had rehabilitated six kilometres of federal roads in the state in 2015.
These roads, he said, included a portion of the Ilorin-Omuaran-Egbe road (3km), Ajase Ipo-Offa-Erinle road (1km), Omu Aran-Otun-Ekiti state border (1.5 km) and Share junction–Bode Saadu road (500m).
Ige disclosed that a total of 14 federal roads in the state had been earmarked for rehabilitation this year.
He listed Share-Lafiagi-Patigi road, Share-Patigi-Essa Kogi border road, Ilorin- Share junction-Bode Saadu, old Jebba road and the Kishi-Kaiama-Kosubosu road as the roads slated for rehabilitation.
In the same vein, the Senior Special Assistant to Gov. Abdulfatah Ahmed on Media, Dr Muideen Akorede, told NAN in an interview that the state government decided to rehabilitate some of the federal roads in bad shape in the state.
The federal roads being rehabilitated by the state government, according to him, include Patigi-Kpada-Rogun road, dualisation of Offa Garage-Dangote Road (South link road) in Ilorin and Kaiama-Kishi road.
To facilitate road transportation, Akorede said a total of 146.15 kilometres of roads would be constructed by the state government this year.
The roads are: Kaiama-Kishi road (62.85km), Patigi-Rogun Kpada road (43.5km), Ilesha-Baruba-Gwanara (32.80km) and expansion of Kwara Polytechnic road – Oyun Bridge-Oke-Ose Teaching Hospital (7km).
Already, Akorede said that a total of N8.8 billion had been set aside in the 2016 budget for the construction and rehabilitation of roads in the state.
However, Malam Bukar Danlami, a tanker driver who plies the Bode-Saadu—Jebba road frequently, told NAN that the highway had become a death-trap.
“Commuters, who drive smaller vehicles, prefer to ply other routes because of the hazards on this road, ‘’ he said.
Also speaking with NAN, Malam Garba Alade, a driver who commutes from Ilorin to Kaduna, says he has stopped plying the road due to the danger the road poses to commuters.
Alhaji Yusuf Abdulkareem, the President of Jebba Descendants Union, lamented that the road had been a source of worry to residents.
Abdulkareem appealed to the Federal Government to repair the road.
“Our roads are death traps and need urgent attention to reduce the high rate of accidents.
“Ajase-Ipo,Offa-Erin-Ile, Olooru-Bode-Saadu-Jebba on the Lagos-Kaduna high way, Ilorin-
Kabba and Kishi-Kaiama roads all need urgent attention,” Mr Ahmed Soliu, a transporter at Saw Mill Motorpark, said.
In Ado-Ekiti, the Federal Director of Works in the state, Mr Kayode Obembe, and his counterpart in FERMA, Mr Kunle Ajijola, however, said some federal roads were being maintained on regular basis.
They, however, blamed the persistent damage to such roads on abuse by operators of articulated vehicles.
Mr Kayode Osho, the Commissioner for Works and Transportation in the state, told NAN that provisions had been made in the 2016 budget for the completion of all ongoing road projects and new ones to be constructed within the year.
He said the state Direct Labour Agency would be strengthened to carry out vital road intervention efforts.
Osho said that no fewer than 13 road projects were awarded for construction, re-construction and rehabilitation this year.
They include Aramoko-Ijero road (27.56km), Igede-Awo-Osi-Ido road (24km), Ijan-Ise road (14km), Ijero, Ipoti- Ayetoro road (18km), Ikere-Igbara Odo road (19.6km), Ikole-Ijesa Isu-ilumoba road (23km) and Ilawe- Ikere road (19km).
Others are the Ilemeso-Omu road (3.6km), Irele-Ponyan road (11.6km) and Otun-Ora boundary road (9.6km).
Chief Toyin Ojo, the Commissioner for Finance, said a total of N13.8 billion was allocated to the sector, out of which N13.2 billion was earmarked for public works and road construction alone.
“We are committed to the provision of good and durable intra and inter-city roads
“Local government councils will also be encouraged to construct access roads to rural communities and farmsteads,” Ojo said.
He, however, urged the Federal Government to reimburse the state with the over N9 billion it claimed to have spent on the re-construction and rehabilitation of federal roads in the state.
He listed the dualised Ado Ekiti-Ifaki road (19.471km), dualised Ado Ekiti-Ikere road (12.5km) and the single lane Ado Ekiti-Ilawe road (10.2km.) as federal roads rehabilitated by the state government.
In Osogbo, Mr Kazeem Salami, the General Manager, Osun Road Maintenance Agency (ORMA), said the state government was working hard to put all the major roads in the state in good shape.
Salami told NAN that the state government had rehabilitated more than 400 state-owned roads.
Also speaking, Mr Nurudeen Adeagbo, the Permanent Secretary in the Ministry of Works, said the state government had spent N17.8 billion in the rehabilitation of some of the federal roads.
They included Osogbo-Ikirun and the 36km Osogbo-Ikirun-Ila Odo-Kwara State boundary roads.
In Akure, motorists also decried the condition of roads in the state.
They appealed to the Federal Government to make the Akure-Owo-Akoko and Akure- Ore-Okitipupa-Igbokoda roads dual carriage ways.
From Ijebu-Ode, Ogun, Mr Lateef Sanusi , the Organising Secretary, Road Transport Employers’ Association of Nigeria (RTEAN), called for the re-introduction of toll gates to generate enough funds that would ensure maintenance of road infrastructure in the country.
Sanusi said that the emergence of toll gates became necessary amid growing concern over the deplorable condition of federal and state-owned roads across the nation.
He said most motorists had bore the attendant consequences of the bad road network through continuous vehicular damage and loss of lives from rising incidents of road mishaps.
“To generate more revenue for road maintenance, as long as we are seeing results and the money is used judiciously, we support the re-emergence of toll gates,” the RTEAN scribe said.
In Nasarawa State, stakeholders in the transport sector urged the state government to build new roads and repair rural roads across the state.
Alhaji Adamu Salisu, Chairman of National Union of Road Transport Workers (NURTW) in the state, attributed the cause of some accidents in the state to the dilapidated roads, especially in the grassroots.
“We want the state government to do something about the dilapidated roads in the rural areas so that accidents caused by bad roads will reduce,” he said.
Mr Danladi Kazaure, a commercial driver in the state, also called on the state government to build wider roads across the state, especially in the rural areas so as to fast-track development.
“Most of us are afraid to go to these places because the roads there are so bad and narrow,” he said.
Malam Yusuf Ali, a resident, said although Gov. Umaru Al-Makura had done well in road construction, the impact of the effort had yet to be felt in the grassroots compared to urban areas in the state.
“The governor has really tried in Lafia and other major towns but it is not the same with the rural areas. He needs to construct new state roads in the rural areas for easy movement,” Ali said.
In Bayelsa, a cross-section of road users have expressed worry over the state of federal roads in the state.
Charles Okonmah, an Engineer and Controller, Federal Ministry of Works in Bayelsa, said there were only three federal roads in the state.
Okonmah said the three roads were Mbiama-Yenagoa, Yenagwe-Okaki-Kolo-Nembe roads and part of the East-West road that linked up the Niger-Delta states.
“I must tell you that among the 36 states of the federation, Bayelsa has the least kilometres of federal road and some of these roads are deplorable, while some are under-construction.
“Basically we have three federal roads here in Bayelsa, though, the East-West road, from Kim to Mbiama, has been given to the Niger Delta Ministry.
“In details, from Mbiama junction, Igbogene-Yenagoa road is about 20 kilometres while Yenagwe-Okaki-Kono-Nembe-Brass road has a total length of over 100 kilometres.
“Out of the kilometre stretch on Yenagwe-Okaki-Kono-Nembe-Brass road, the only area that work is currently going is between Yenagwe and Kolo axis.
“That particular road is a virgin project and is about 33.5 kilometres; it was awarded in May 2009 and has not been completed; the cost of that road is over N13 billion.
“Till date, about 46 per cent of the project has been actualised, that is to say that 16 kilometres of the total 33.5 kilometres of the road has been completed to the asphalt level.
“The East-West road from Mbiama junction boarder with Delta State has been ceded to the Ministry of Niger-Delta affairs and work is in progress on that road,” Okonmah said.
It is the same story in most parts of states in the North-West zone as motorists plying Kano-Gworzo-Dayi road have expressed concern over the deplorable condition of the road.
They said that the poor condition of roads in the area had greatly increased the number of road accidents in the area.
‘’The road is like a death trap as hardly a day passes without people being killed on the road as a result of accident.
‘’The potholes especially from Gude village to Gwarzo town in Kano State have made it very difficult for motorists plying the road,’’ Ibrahim Slow, a motorist, said.
In Kebbi State, Mr Ufot Imoh, an official of FERMA in the state, however, attributed the delay in the maintenance of the over 864,52 kilometres of federal roads in the state to the absence of functional road maintenance equipment and paucity of funds.
Imoh told NAN in Birnin Kebbi that 309 kilometres of the federal roads in the state were in bad shape.
Investigations reveal that the Jega-Koko-Yauri federal road is now a death trap for motorists.
In Sokoto State, the rehabilitation of failed sections of federal and state-owned roads by FERMA is progressing steadily.
Mr Yusuf Alfa, the engineer in charge of FERMA in the state, listed the 87km Sokoto-Tambuwal road as well as the 56km Sokoto-Tureta road as among federal roads already rehabilitated in the state.
Alfa said that work on Kajiji-Gummi border (Zamfara) and Kebbe (Sokoto) – Jega (Kebbi) roads were also ongoing.
He also listed Tangaza, Kebbe, Dange Shuni, Mabera, Binji, Bodinga, Gada, Goronyo, Gwadabawa, Ilela, Kware roads as among the roads already rehabilitated in the state.
However, Alhaji Abdullahi Adamu, a member of the National Executive Committee of the National Union of Roads Transport Workers (NURTW) in the state, urged the Federal government to speed up the rehabilitation of other bad roads in the state.
From Abakaliki, the Ebonyi Government said it had spent over N26.1 billion on the rehabilitation, construction as well as reconstruction of 143 kilometres of federal roads in the area.
Mr Philip Eworo, the Commissioner for Works, told NAN in an interview that some of the road projects had been completed while others were at various stages of completion.
He said that the construction of the 38km Abakaliki-Oferekpe road had reached 100 per cent completion, adding that the dualisation of 12.5km section of the Abakaliki-Enugu highway had also been completed.
Eworo said that work on the 10km Afikpo-Uwana road had reached 80 per cent completion, while the 2 kilometres access road along Afikpo-Uwana road, dualisation of a 3.5km section of the Abakaliki-Afikpo road from the Akanu Ibiam junction were at various stages of completion.
He also said the state government had commenced work on the abandoned 14.5km Abakaliki-Afikpo federal highway while construction work on the 23.5kms Amasiri-Okposi-Uburu federal road had reached 75 per cent completion.
Eworo said that work on the 15.5km Nkalagu-Egedege-Iheamufu federal road as well as the construction of the 15km Amasiri-Owutu-Oso Edda federal road had reached about 60 per cent completion.
Meanwhile, FERMA blamed the poor road networks in Adamawa on the activities of the insurgents in the state.
Mr Irikefe Barror, the officer in-charge of the agency in the state, said that out of the 12 roads contracted out in 2014, only two contractors were able to execute them, adding that the remaining 10 contracts were not executed due to the insurgency.
Barror explained that the 22 federal roads in the state covering 1253.5 kilometres had expired due to lack of maintenance.
He said the duration of every road was 25 years and that all the roads in Adamawa had attained their lifespan.
However, the Yobe government said it had constructed 51 roads covering a distance of 318.68 kilometres at the cost of N12.309 billion from 2007 to date.
Alhaji Sirajo Wakil, the Commissioner for Works, Transport and Energy, said four federal roads covering a distance of 324 kilometres were rehabilitated by the state government at the cost of N38.125 billion within the same period.
According to him, six other roads covering 231 kilometres are currently being constructed, while contract for the rehabilitation of another 77km federal road has been awarded by the state government.
Meanwhile, motorists in the state expressed concern over the deplorable condition of the 122 km Nguru-Gashua-Baimari federal highway.
Shuaibu Abubakar, a motorist in Nguru, described the road as a ‘death trap’.
“Motorists traveling from Nguru to Damaturu which is about 200 km are forced to go through Jakusko and Potiskum covering over 300km before arriving Damaturu because of the bad road,” he said.
It is the same story in Borno where the Boko Haram insurgency has also crippled all Federal Government’s road projects in the state.
Alhaji Abubakar Hussain, the Director of FERMA in the state, said most of the road projects were abandoned due the activities of insurgents in the state.
He, however, disclosed about N5 billion had been earmarked for various road construction projects in the state.
“Now that peace has gradually returned, we are optimistic that the various road projects will kick off in the state,’’ Hussain said.
But the Niger chapter of the National Union of Road Transport Workers has urged the Federal and state governments to explore option of reintroducing tollgates on the highways to generate enough funds for sustainable road maintenance.
Alhaji Ibrahim Kuta, the Chairman of NURTW in the state, said that the measure would make the roads safe and motorable.
Kuta also called for the introduction of the Build Operate and Transfer (BOT) arrangement to improve the roads.
“The condition of our roads in Nigeria today is bad making us to spend more money in the maintenance of our vehicles.
“So many people have also lost their lives in road accidents involving our vehicles because of the bad roads across the country.
“The Federal Government should reintroduce the demolished tollgates to get more revenue for the construction and maintenance of roads,’’ he said.
Similarly, road users in Uyo, Akwa Ibom, also called for the return of the toll gates to generate funds for sustainable road maintenance.
Mr Timothy Udoh, the Assistant Secretary, Nigeria Union of Road Transport Workers (NURTW) in the state, argued that the funds generated from the toll gates should be exclusively used for the maintenance of the highways.
Mr Nwankwo Emeka, the Controller of Works in Akwa Ibom, identified funding as a major challenge to road maintenance.
In Bauchi State, however, Mr Olusegun Adebari, a FERMA official in the state, disclosed that all the 17 federal roads covering a distance of 1,500km in the state were motorable.
Adeberi told NAN in an interview that that “the only bad section of the road we earlier had was Bauchi-Gombe road but noted that substantial parts had been patched.
But Alhaji Suleiman Adamu, Chairman, National Roads Transport Workers Association (NUTRWA), Bauchi State chapter, faulted Adebari’s statement , insisting that most of the federal roads in the state except that of Bauchi – Dass road reconstructed by the state government were in shambles.
Expressing similar concern, Alhaji Abdullahi Wakili, Secretary, Road Transport Employers Association of Nigeria (RTEAN), Kofar Gombe, Motor Park, Bauchi, said that “for one most, if not all the federal roads in the state have degraded almost to the point that they became almost impassable’’.
In Jigawa, Alhaji Mustafa Baba, an official of the Vehicle Inspection Department, said that most of the roads in the state were motorable.
“Over 95 per cent of the roads are in good condition due to serious commitment of the state government to road development.
“The accident rate is minimal due to provision of good roads in the state,” he said.
In Port Harcourt, Mr Benedict Amarube, an engineer with FERMA, says funding had been a major challenge to road rehabilitation in Rivers.
Amarube said that most federal roads in the state were in deplorable condition, adding that the state government was currently rehabilitating and expanding some of the the roads to dual carriageway.
He said that of the 535 kilometres of roads in the state, only a section of the Port Harcourt-Isiokpo-Umerelu road had been “maintained”.
According to him, the East-West road is also currently being upgraded to a dual carriageway by the Federal Ministry of Niger Delta.
Investigations, however, revealed that 16km Emohua-Degema, 53km Igwuruta-Okpalla-Okehi and the 8km Rumukwurushi-Chokocho roads were in deplorable condition.
In Plateau, NAN investigation revealed that most of the roads in the state were also in bad shape, with only a few of them still motorable.
A cross section of motorists in the state described the Saminaka-Jos federal road as a “death trap’’.
“This road has been very terrible for a very long time; we have tried to see whether it could be fixed, but our efforts have been fruitless,’’ Mr Mathew Gwazah, a former member of the Plateau House of Assembly, said in an interview with NAN in Jos.
But Pam Dungs, the Commissioner for Works in the state, said that the state government was already rehabilitating some of the bad roads to ease movement of people.
“You can see our attention to the Maraban-Jamaa Jos road; it is a federal road, but we are fixing it to guarantee the comfort or our people.
“You must have also noticed the gridlock in the city centre; it is caused by the massive ongoing road rehabilitation,’’ he said.
It is the same situation in Taraba as motorists there have continued to decry the poor state of both federal and state roads across the state.
Some of them who spoke with NAN, said that the situation was worse in the rural areas.
“The rural roads have become death traps to road users; we try to avoid them where we can,’’Alhaji Abdullahi Garba, a commercial vehicle driver, told NAN in Jalingo.
He said that the Jalingo-Zing–Numan road was becoming increasingly dangerous.
“The road has suffered neglect for so many years; as you can see, the number of deep pot holes has continued to increase.
Gabriel Yusufu, another commercial driver, who frequently plies the 35 km Mararraba -Pantisawa -Pantisawa road, also decried the worsening condition of the road.
“If something is not urgently done, the area will soon be cut off from the entire state,’’ he said.
From Makurdi, the Makurdi-Naka-Anpka federal road is particularly in dire need of urgent rehabilitation.
NAN learnt that many motorists had abandoned that road, preferring to go through Makurdi-Aliade-Oturkpo road to link Ankpa in Kogi, a longer but comparatively better road.
Also in need of urgent attention is the Makurdi-Gboko-Katsina Ala road, which users said had been left unattended to, for a very long time.
The situation is not any better in Kogi as motorists had continued to suffer a lot of hardship along the Abuja-Lokoja highway, whose repairs are taking a very long time to complete.
”This road has claimed many lives and we pray for the day when it will be fully completed,’’ Mr Fred Nda, a motorist, lamented.
In Kaduna State, Malam Sani Abdulkadir, FERMA’S Coordinator in the state, said that the introduction of National Roads Funds would help to generate funds to ensure sustainable road maintenance in the country.
Abdulkadir said a total of 190 kilometres of the 1, 814 kilometres of federal roads in the state were in bad shape.
In Katsina State, motorists say most federal roads are in the state of disrepairs.
Some of the bad roads include Malumfashi-Zaria, Katsina-Kano, Funtua-Malumfashi-Garzo-Kano, Katsina-Jibia-Niger Republic and Kano-Daura-Kongolom, among others.
Alhaji Abdu Bagadwa, the Sector Commander, Federal Road Safety Corps (FRSC), urged the government to reconstruct the roads to reduce high rate of accidents.
Bagadawa particularly noted that the life span of the Katsina-Kano road had expired, as it was constructed over 30 years ago.
Lending his voice, Alhaji Lirwanu Suleiman, the Secretary, Nigerian Association of Road Transport Owners (NARTO), urged the Federal Government to re-award the contract for Katsina-Kano road project in view of its importance.
‘’Katsina-Kano road is an international road that needs to be reconstructed to save people’s lives and property,’’ he said.
In Enugu, the state government has assured that it would asphalt roads and construct drains in its targeted 500 kilometres of rural roads to improve access to its 150 rural communities.
The Commissioner for Works, Mr Patrick Ikpenwa, who gave the assurance in an interview with the News Agency of Nigeria (NAN), said that the target was enshrined in the Enugu State Vision 4:2020 Implementation Plan.
NAN reports that the only fairly motorable road is the Enugu State portion of the Enugu-Abakaliki road, while the about 65-kilometre 9th mile junction-Nsukka road and Enugu state 68-kilometre portion of the Enugu-Port Harcourt are in dire need of rehabilitation.
In Ebonyi, the state government said it had spent over N26.1 billion on the rehabilitation, construction as well as reconstruction of 143 Kilometres of federal roads in the area.
Mr Philip Eworo, Commissioner for Works, said that already some of the road projects had been completed while others were at various stages of completion.
According to him, the 143 kilometre road projects are located in various parts of the state, noting that the idea is to ensure an even spread of the road projects.
“Road infrastructure is critical for economic and commercial development hence the state government embarked on the maintenance, rehabilitation, construction and reconstruction of various federal roads located in the state.
“We have spent well over N26.1 billion in these projects which included construction of three fly-overs at the Akanu Ibiam junction, Presco and the international Market to ease traffic congestion,” he said.
He said that the construction of the 38 kilometre Abakaliki-Oferekpe road had reached 100 per cent completion, adding that the dualisation of 12.5 Kilometres of a section of the Abakaliki-Enugu high-way had also been completed.
Eworo disclosed that work on the 10 kilometres Afikpo-Uwana road had reached 80 per cent completion, while the 2 kilometre access road along Afikpo-Uwana road, dualisation of a 3.5 km a section of the Abakaliki-Afikpo road from the Akanu Ibiam junction were at various stages of competion.
He said the deplorable condition of the 8 kilometres Okposi-Ugwulangwu federal road had attracted the attention of the state government.
In Anambra, there are failed portions along the Owerri-Onitsha federal high way and also at the Ekwulobia-Umunze, Ekwulobia-Amawbia and Onitsha-Enugu expressways.
Gov. Willie Obiano of Anambra claimed that the Federal Government owed the state N34 billion spent on the repair of federal roads and bridges in different parts of the state.
The governor, who spoke during an interactive session with Journalists at his lodge in Awka recently, said he would not embark on the repair of more dilapidated federal roads across the state until the money owed the state was paid because it was taking a toll in the state`s finances.
In Imo, a cross-section of motorists in Owerri called for adequate funding of the road maintenance agencies so as to enable them to perform efficiently.
Mr Daniel Azoji, an official of National Union of Road Transport Workers (NURTW) in charge of Egbu/Emekuku Park Owerri, said there was need for government to adequately fund agencies in charge of road repairs.
“Between Owerri and Azaraegbelu, there are more than six bad spots.
“All these spots pose serious challenges for vehicles once it rains and the situation often results to regular damaging of vehicles and man-hour loss, ’’ he said.
Commuters in Delta also decry the poor condition of federal roads in the state and called for urgent rehabilitation of such roads to avert accidents and loss of lives.
They specifically lamented the recent mishap where no fewer than 13 persons died in a multiple auto crash at Ibusa on Asaba-Ughelli federal road.
Mr Ignatius Nnamdi, a motorist, pleaded for urgent intervention on the Sapele- Eku- Abraka-Agbor road, the Asaba- Illah-Ebu-Utor road and the Onitsha-Asaba highway before the heavy rains set in.
Commenting on the state of federal roads across the country, Mrs Maryam Sanusi, FERMA’S Head of Communication and Public Relations Officer, says the delay in the release of funds to execute mapped out road repairs had marred the effective maintenance of roads by the agency.
She told NAN in an interview in Abuja that FERMA was confronted with challenges such as inadequate funding and delay in budgetary implementation.
“The budgetary implementation also causes delay in funding of the maintenance of the roads on schedule.
“Some of the contractors’ debts are not serviced timely due to paucity of fund which is also a setback regarding pro- activeness in road maintenance,’ she said.
She said that construction of toll gates, road concessions and Public Private Partnership should also be encouraged as a way out of the problem.
Sanusi, however, claimed that the 34,000 km road networks assigned to FERMA were averagely in fair condition.
“FERMA activities are still prominent (ongoing) along Federal highways through its Direct Labour operations and intervention by contracts.
‘’FERMA applies highway standard code of practice and specifications in all its repairs and maintenance works.
“FERMA operates quality control laboratories in each geo-political zone of the country to ensure that materials are tested and are in accordance with Federal Highway Manual specifications,’’ she said.
She said that the agency had mapped out 60 roads for maintenance in the first quarter of 2016.
Meanwhile, the Nigerian Institute of Highway Engineers (NIHE) has called on the Federal Government to declare emergency in the road sector to attract private sector funding for roads development.
Its Chairman, Mr Isa Emoabino, who made the call in an interview with NAN in Abuja, described the state of Nigerian roads as “extremely very poor’’.
“This government should declare an emergency on the road sector, because that is the sector that will act as catalyst to improve the economic recovery and development of this nation.
“ After decades of neglect and poor budgetary allocations, government needs to get (pump) money into the system before we can think of getting the road system back in good shape.
“Government can only begin to focus on creative ways to fund and rearrange the sector for delivery of economic goods and services moving from one section of the country to the other.
“If the government can put in sufficient funding into the sector, the sector will definitely recover,’’ Emoabino said. (NAN)