NAN-H-61
Roads
By Monday Ijeh
Abuja, July 10, 2017 (NAN) Mr Obiekwe Anaduaka, the National Chairman, Nigerian Institution of Highway and Transportation Engineers has blamed the deplorable state of roads in Nigeria on long periods of neglect by past government administrations.
Anaduaka who stated this on Monday in an interview with the News Agency of Nigeria (NAN) in Abuja expressed dismay over the funding of road maintenance through the national budget.
Cue in audio (Anaduaka)
“This road issue has always been a problem because the roads are major.
“The governments of the past had not adequately attended to management of roads in Nigeria.
“Recently, there has been what I can call a dedicated effort towards solving this problem.
“I am glad to say that this recent efforts is coming from the National Assembly.
“By that I mean that Nigeria require the review or the reform of all the strategies for the development and management of roads.’’
Cue out audio
According to him, because of the huge size of road network in Nigeria, its development and maintenance have depended on the national budget.
He said the ongoing reform in the sector would put in place, appropriate strategies for procurement, construction and maintenance of roads in Nigeria outside the national budget.
Anaduaka said the inclusion of road maintenance in the budget with all the heavy financial demands from other sectors of the economy would hinder development in the road sector.
He said the reform would change the institutional arrangements adding that the management and maintenance of roads in the past had been in the hands of the ministries.
“I know what happens in the ministry, there is this linear hierarchy if a porthole appears in Akwa Ibom, letters will be written to the headquarters of the ministry in Abuja.
“They will ask for budget, they will go to the presidency to ask for approval, that is not how roads are managed all over the world.
“So, one gain that is going to come from this reform is institutional reframe work rearrangement where we will get the Federal Road Authority that will have powers to attend to the issues concerning roads within a short time,” he said.
According to him, with the reform, the national budget will take care of building of new road while the maintenance will be done from the National Road Fund. (NAN)
IMC/LAB/YEE
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Edited by Lydia Beshel/Emmanuel Yashim