The two arms of the National Assembly, Senate and the House of Representatives, have expressed angst over the deplorable state of roads across the country.
While the Senate asked the Federal Government to, as a matter of urgency, consider an Emergency Intervention Fund to the tune of N300 billion for critical roads in Niger State linking economic corridors in the North and South, the House of Representatives said an estimated cumulative length of 6,000 kilometers of roads had been damaged nationwide by torrential rainfall and mandated the Federal Ministry of Works and Housing to immediately mop up the necessary resources and commence emergency repairs on all the worst affected roads and bridges across the nation.
According to the upper chamber, setting up the intervention fund will facilitate the infrastructure rehabilitation efforts of government to support ease of business and economic recovery.
These formed part of resolutions reached, following a motion brought to the floor during plenary by Senator Aliyu Sabi Abdullahi (APC, Niger North.)
Senator Abdullahi, while coming under Order 42 and 52 of the Senate Standing Rules said: “The Senate noted with shock the very ugly scene playing out in Niger State from February 24 to September 2021 in which heavy trucks and tanker drivers blocked all entry and exit roads to protest the horrible state of federal roads passing through the state;
“Recall that Niger State has the longest federal road network of 2,263km out of a total of 32,000km of national federal roads network.
“The federal roads in Niger State stretched from the Abuja – Kaduna end to the Jebba – Mokwa – Makera – Tegina – Birnin Gwarimpa – Kaduna road to the Mokwa – New Bussa – Agwara – Kigera end which lies to the border with Benin republic.
“Overall, the following are critical linkage roads within Niger that provide logistical and vehicular movements between the North and South; especially the South West and North West.
“Because of the massive land area of Niger State at 76,363km (representing about nine percent of the total land area of the country), all movements from North to South substantially traverse the state.
“Indeed, the massive haulage of heavy industrial goods, such as petroleum products, iron rods, cement, finished manufactured goods, machines and equipment, electronic and building materials etc, in which trucks and tankers are overloaded puts great pressure on the roads and thus are seriously devastating to the roads.
“Cursory observation and reports indicate that many trucks and tankers are loaded with up to 90,000 tonnes of goods and all vehicles are consistently loaded above their approved tonnage.
“Alarmed that all the major link roads have totally failed with fatal accidents occurring on a daily basis with loss of lives, goods and vehicles. A development that angered the truck and tanker drivers to begin the protest as the only available alternative route to exit the state is the Bida – Minna road which is currently undergoing construction. This road itself is a failed road with many portions that cannot withstand any heavy truck movement as it is.
“Further alarmed that the only road portion that is substantially motorable is the Mokwa Junction – Bida road which is itself under intense pressure by the heavy duty haulage activities of trucks and tankers and may not last two years under the current scenario. The Kontagora – Yauri road is also motorable but hard to reach, hence the pressure on state roads;
“Disturbed that the current rate of funding of federal roads in the state is unfortunately dismal and cannot deliver, which has led to many of the projects abandoned by contractors. The result is continuous pressure on the few good ones.
“Indeed, it is very sad that the main trunk road from Jebba – Mokwa – Tegina – Kaduna has been completely abandoned even though contracts have been awarded for the Jebba – Tegina section 1 and 2 since 2018 without funds sufficient to even mobilize the contractors.
“This is true also for Makera – Kontagora – Yauri which has been awarded since 2013; Bida – Lapai- Lambatta awarded since 2018 also but poor funding means stalled work. The massive accidents and losses on this road were responsible for the current blockade in the state.
“Agrees that the ways and means for funding infrastructure in Nigeria must be seriously considered, while also strengthening enforcement in the issues of excess weight load by trucks and tankers, considering that over 90 per cent of haulage of heavy goods are by road transport; pending when the ongoing train projects are delivered to ease the pressure.”
The upper chamber further urged the Federal Government to consider an Emergency Intervention Fund for critical roads in Niger State to the tune of N300 billion to concurrently fix the roads as part of the infrastructure rehabilitation efforts of the government to support ease of business and economic recovery across the country.
On its part, the House of Representatives said that an estimated cumulative length of 6,000 kilometers of roads had been damaged nationwide by the torrential rainfall.
It, therefore, mandated the Federal Ministry of Works and Housing to immediately mop up the necessary resources and commence emergency repairs on all the worst affected roads and bridges across the nation.
It also asked the ministry to present to the House Committee on Works an action plan that might require legislative framework for the immediate intervention programme.
The resolution was reached after considering a motion under matters of urgent public importance presented before it at plenary by Ibrahim A. Isiaka from Ogun State.
Moving the motion, Isiaka said: “The recent torrential rainfall experienced across the country in the last three months, has ’caused severe damages to roads and bridges in different parts of the country, leaving behind tales’ of woes, despondency, social and economic challenges.
“No region in the country is spared of this national act of God. Bridges and culverts have been submerged, roads have collapsed, and access to many towns and cities across the nation have been completely cut off due to the impassability of the affected roads and bridges..
“Based on the condition assessments carried out across the country, an estimated cumulative length of the damaged roads is well above 6,000 kilometers.
“This existential threat is posing a danger to human safety and causing signiticant disruption to both economic and social activities. Motorists and Commutters are enduring untold hardship and the security of lives and property of Nigerians have been greatly threatened consistently.”
Adopting the motion after securing the majority vote of the House on the motion, the House mandated its Committee on Works to ensure compliance.
Also considering another motion on the need to rehabilitate collapsed bridge and other components of the road linking Umuchima-Obiohia in Ideato South of Imo-State and Uga-Ekwulobia-Nnewi-Awaka in Anambra State by Pascal Obi, the House urged the Federal Roads Maintenance Agency, FERMA, to undertake urgent rehabilitations and/or reconstructions of the road, especially the Umuchima-Ideato-Orlu axis.