NAN-H-22
Roads
By Monday Ijeh
Abuja, Feb. 21, 2017 (NAN) The Council for the Regulation of Engineering in Nigeria (COREN) on Tuesday urged the Federal Government to cede maintenance of roads across the country to the state governments.
Mr Kashim Ali, COREN President, made the plea in an interview with the News Agency of Nigeria (NAN) in Abuja.
Ali said that the Federal Government should empower the state governments to maintain the roads and take up the responsibility of monitoring them.
“During the colonial and even post-colonial days, when governance was a bit more responsible, most of the roads were single-carriage ways, but they were effectively maintained.
“We had road camps along the states and federal roads.
“We had people there who ensure that when a road develops pot holes, the portion would be quickly and creatively mended. This went on to the early 80s.
“The roads were passable at that time and my first job as an engineer was maintenance of roads,” he said.
According to him, the Federal Government, like in the past, should provide the state governments with equipment and materials for maintenance works, while it focuses on monitoring.
“The Federal Government ceded the responsibility to the states, making every state Ministry of Works responsible for the maintenance of both the Federal and State roads within its territory.
“What they do was to give them money to provide equipment, and materials like bitumen.
“They also had Authority to Incur Expenditure (AIE) that could be cashed in sub-treasuries for them to do the work.
“It does not cost much, not as much as we are spending now, and the result was profound,” he said.
Ali said that for the country to get out of its present situation, government should go back to the basics and stop trading blames. (NAN)
IMC/MAS/GOK
Edited by Moses Solanke/Olagoke Olatoye