The Federal Government may be unable to rehabilitate certain roads across the nation due to paucity of funds.
The Details: This was disclosed by Senator Abdulfatai Buhari who noted that only 500 roads out of 3,800 roads requiring urgent attention would be rehabilitated by the Federal Government next year, leaving a total of 3,300 roads unattended to in the coming year.
He made this statement at a thanksgiving service in honour of Mrs Bimbo Oladeji, representing Ogbomosho North State Constituency.
Buhari explained that a list of 3,800 roads was presented for repairs to the Senate Committee on Land Transport by the Minister of Works and Housing, Babatunde Fashola. However, only 500 roads were earmarked for approval with the sum of N260 billion.
“The state of our roads is horrible. If you look at this year’s budget, N260billion has been budgeted for roads in Nigeria, but I must be honest with you, the roads so far are deplorable all over the country.
“From the North, West, East and South, it is horrible. But, the money is not enough to do the job that is prioritised.
“Like the Trunk A roads in the Southwest for example – the Lagos to Ibadan, Ibadan to Ogbomosho and Ogbomosho to Ilorin – those are the ones picked. The same thing with the Eastern Bypass in Owerri, South-South and other regions.
“You know in Nigeria, we prioritise and politicise everything. If you pick a particular section, other sections will not look at the benefits that will go to human beings generally and those to enjoy the use; they will say you are biased because you belong to a particular place.”
Further Details: Reacting to the comments made by Fashola on the deplorable road conditions in the country, Buhari noted that Fashola’s statements were untrue, as he was the one who raised the issue of the 3,800 roads in dire need of rehabilitation.
“He (Fashola) has never said that. I was with him five days ago; he even showed me the map and the plottings of their priorities. If he had said that, he won’t show me the map or their priorities. He won’t even tell me we have over 3,000 roads that needed attention.
“The only thing he said to me was that what they met is not what it is now; that they have achieved a lot. What the minister told me was that before next year, he will try and work hard to ensure that the road project advances.”
Recall that just a few days ago, Fashola said that Nigerian roads were not as bad as people thought. The statement didn’t sit well with a number of Nigerians, who criticised the minister for uttering such statement.
