NAN-H-5
Roads
Abuja, Dec. 8, 2016 (NAN) As the year draws to a close and many billed to travel, Nigerians have expressed divergent views on the Federal Government’s efforts to provide road infrastructure.
The citizens’ feelings are based on the promise of the President Muhammadu Buhari administration to address road infrastructure deficit nationwide.
The administration inherited 206 road contracts, according to the Minister of Power, Works and Housing, Mr Babatunde Fashola.
Fashola said that the short-term objectives of the government was to complete unfinished contracts.
“In the medium to long term, we intend to cover more roads as our resources permit, and increase our maintenance capacity of road assets to ensure that we do not neglect our highways again in the manner we had done over the years to our collective detriment.
“With limited resources against liabilities, with debts already owed, we had to make difficult choices of deciding which of the 206 roads under contract we should start with, and how much.
“Our choices were informed by the realities of our economy and the size of our resources; we resolved that all roads are economic roads, but that some were more urgent and more impactful than others,’’ he said.
Fashola said that the ministry had N260 billion from the 2016 budget for its activities with the release of N70 billion in June (for Quarter I) and N60 billion in October for Quarter II).
He said priority would be given to roads that carried the heaviest cargo, allowed access to farmers, businessmen, industries and travellers for improved economic activities.
He named some of the most critical roads as Port Harcourt-Aba; Sokoto-Tambuwal- Makera-Kontagara; Ilorin-Jebba; Loko-Oweto Bridge; Shagamu- Ibadan; Shagamu-Lagos, and Ogbomosho-Oko-Ilogbo-Osogbo.
Others are Funtua-Katsina; Wukari-Akwana; Abriba-Arochukwu-Ohafia; Abuja-Lokoja-Airport; Oji-Achi-Obeagu-Mmaku-Awgu-Ndeaboh-Mpu-Okpanku; Ajase Ipo-Offa-Erinle; and Ikot Ekpene Border-Aba-Owerri Dualisation.
A survey conducted by the News Agency of Nigeria (NAN) shows that while work has begun on some of the roads, many still wait for attention.
In places where the job has begun, the people lauded the efforts but in areas where work has yet to start, the people are complaining.
The Federal Controller, Ministry of Works in Abia, Mr Nasir Bello, said the rehabilitation of federal roads in Abia stopped five years ago.
But in Delta, the state government is complementing the efforts of Federal Roads Maintenance Agency (FERMA).
Mr James Augoye, Delta Commissioner for Works, said the state decided to take such step since the roads were used by people of the state.
Augoye said that the state government intervened in the repair of Warri-Sapele road.
“The Warri-Sapele Federal Road was having serious problem and had become deplorable, the state government intervened and we did a wonderful work there.
“At a point, we excavated 2.5m deep and refilled with sharp sand to raise it to the level it is today and it cost the state government N230 million.
“We are also intervening on the Eku-Abraka-Umutu-Agbor Road, we are rehabilitating the 74km road at the cost of N150 million,’’ he said.
The commissioner also said the Federal Government had repaired bad portions of the Asaba-Onitsha Road.
He said the state had written to the Federal Government for reimbursement.
In Edo, Mr Benedict Okolo, the South-South 11 Zonal Coordinator of FERMA, said the agency was rehabilitating 69km of roads, namely, Muritala Mohammed Way, Benin, and Benin-Ologbo Road.
“We are currently rehabilitating the MM way and the Benin-Ologbo roads through direct labour at the cost of N10 million.
“We have also awarded the Auchi-Agenebode Road and Oluku-Sobe Road contracts which are 61km and 60km respectively,’’ Okolo said.
According to him, work will soon begin on the Benin-Asaba Road, Oluku-Sobe Road and Auchi-Agenebode Road.
In Gombe State, Mr Sulaiman Mohammed, FERMA Engineer, Gombe Field Office, said the agency had repaired eight roads since 2012.
He listed the roads as Gombe –Biu, Gombe –Numan, Gombe -Bauchi , Gombe -Dukku-Darazo ,Gombe –Potaskum and Billiri-Filiya.
Mohammed said the jobs were executed through direct labour, noting that some of the roads linked other states and countries, such as Cameroon and Chad.
He said the rehabilitated roads had boosted commercial activities in Gombe State and enabled farmers to bring their produce to the market.
Malam Bala Mohammed, a commercial vehicle driver plying Gombe -Pitaskum Road, commended the government for repairing the road.
Malam Zakari Musa, another commercial driver, lauded the government for ensuring the safety of lives and property on the road.
However, in Bayelsa, the Federal Controller of Works, Mr Charles Okonmah, said the lack of resources hindered work on federal roads in the state during the year.
Mr Ayoola Bolaji of FERMA in the state, however, said the agency was carrying out some maintenance works on some roads.
He said work had commenced on Kilometre 14.900 by Bridge Abutment along Yenagoa-Mbiama Road and kilometre 13.700 on Tombia-Amassoma Road.
“Another one is a carriage repair of Primary Road 1 along Julius Berger in the state; maintenance on these roads is currently on-going,’’ he said.
Mr Waibode Francis, Chairman, National Union of Road Transport Workers at Ekeki Park, decried the slow pace of work on the projects.
Also, traders along Yenagwe-Okaki-Kolo-Nembe Road said the poor state of the road had affected their businesses negatively.
Mr Christopher Egi, a plantain seller, called on the ‘’Federal Government to mobilise contractors to various road sites in the state, we are worried.”
In Cross River, the Federal Controller of Works, Mr Chinwuba Agbara said that the design of Odukpani/Itu Road as a dual carriageway had been produced.
“We have done the design work and all the relevant agencies are doing their own part of the process, as soon as that is completed, construction will take off before the end of the year,’’ Agbara said.
He also said rehabilitation work had commenced in the three sections of the 333km Calabar-Ugep-Ikom-Katsina Ala Road.
He said that CCECC Construction Company had mobilised to site at Ikom-Iyamoyon road.
Agbara said Iyamoyon-Ugep section of the road was being handled by Sermatech Engineering; while Mbok Junction-Abochiche section was being handled by Well Stone Tam Construction Ltd.
According to him, clearing work has also begun around the 300m Ikom Bridge to pave way for the reconstruction of the bridge.
“In all, I think Cross River has federal presence in terms of road, ‘’ he stated.
“We have not encountered any problem from the communities so far.
‘’We engage their youths as artisans in the sites and we also engage their qualified engineers to work on the sites as a way of creating job opportunities for the people,’’ he said.
Meanwhile, Mr Muhammad Sani, FERMA Zonal Controller in-charge of Kano, Katsina and Kaduna states, said the agency would soon commence work on some roads in the states.
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“We have so far received information about two of the works that were approved, one in Kaduna and one in Daura township, but no details were available yet,’’ Agbara said.
Similarly, the Federal Controller of Works in Kebbi, Alhaji Goni Mohammed, said work had begun on the 186km Tambuwal-Jega-Birnin Yauri Road, which links Sokoto State and Kebbi.
Mohammed said the job was estimated to cost N7.1 billion and would be completed in 36 months.
“The road is a major link with other towns within and outside the state.
‘’It will expand agricultural activities, boost economic activities as well as improve social and cultural relationships when completed.
A commercial driver, Usman Ibrahim, said the Jega-Koko portion of the road had been completed and that it had reduced travel time on road.
In Enugu State, the Federal Controller of Works, Mr Oluropo Oyetade, said 730 jobs had been created through the rehabilitation of Enugu-Onitsha Road.
Oyetade said the contractor, Reynolds Construction Company (RCC), employed 280 directly and 450 others indirectly.
“These 730 jobs exclude the daily food vendors and their assistants who supply edibles for the staff of the company.
“The multiplier effect of these new jobs would affect thousands of families in Enugu State,’’ he said.
Oyetade said work had begun on Enugu-Port Harcourt expressway starting from Lokpanta in Abia as well as four other federal roads.
‘’The 58km Enugu-Onitsha Road within Enugu State, starting from Amensa area boundary to Enugu was awarded to RCC in March, 2015, to the tune of N24 billion.
‘’RCC started work on the road in June, 2016 after they were paid part of mobilisation fee and in November, they were paid another part of the mobilisation fee.
‘’The company, since June, had set up its yard along the road and rehabilitated potholes on the Onitsha-bound lane of the Enugu-Onitsha Road to allow motorists passage this yuletide.
‘’It commenced proper re-construction work about a month now from the Enugu-bound section of the road.
‘’The road re-construction is expected to be completed on or before March, 2018,’’ Oyetade said.
The repair of the Port-Harcourt bound lane of the Enugu- Port Harcourt road is to be completed a week before Christmas, he said.
The controller said the re-construction of the 61km Enugu-Port Harcourt road portion of Enugu State starting from Lokpanta boundary was awarded to CGC at the cost of N32 billion.
Oyetade also said government had mobilised contractors to site on four other roads in Enugu State.
A commercial bus driver plying Enugu-Onitsha Road, Mr Obinna Uwakwe, said the repaired portion had made travelling easier on the road.
‘’The repair has restored confidence of travellers, who previously plied the old road,’’ Uwakwe said.
In Oyo State, work the Oyo-Ogbomoso Expressway is being built at the cost of six billion naira.
The project, which is the second section of the Ibadan-Ilorin Expressway, was abandoned in the past.
Meanwhile, the first section of Ibadan-Oyo Road and the third section of Ogbomoso-Ilorin Road have been completed.
Other ongoing federal road projects in Oyo State are Iseyin-Okeho, Akinmorin and Ibadan-Oyo, Ogbomoso-Oko-Ilogbo-Osogbo and Igbo Ile-Okun in Surulere Local Government Area.
Also undergoing rehabilitation are Abeokuta-Bakatari-Ibadan Road, Ibadan-Oyo-Ogbomoso-Ilorin (Section 2) Road and Odooba-Takie-Gambari-Otte Road.
“The two major roads we are expecting to start work on are Sango Ota /Idiroko Road and Sagamu /Ogijo/Ikorodu Road,’’ Mr Alex Mazoya, the FERMA engineer in Ogun said.
Olaogun said remedial works would be carried out on all the portions of Sango-Abeokuta Road.
“The areas mapped out for repairs include Joju U- turn, Ijoko, Owode, Iyana Ilogbo and Ilepa axis of the Lagos-/Abeokuta Expressway,’’ he said.
In Kwara, the repair of Ajase-Ipo/Offa Road and Ilorin Jebba Highway, abandoned for years, have reached advance stages.
The Controller, Federal Ministry of Works, Power and Housing in Kwara, Omotayo Awosanya, said work had resumed on the roads.
“There is a budgetary provision of N600 million for the Ajase-Ipo/Offa Road and the outstanding sum has been paid.
“ That is why you see the contractor reporting back to the site,’’ he said.
He said the job would be completed before the end of the year and expressed optimism that the ongoing Ilorin-Jebba Road repair would be completed next year if money was available.
Awosanya said work was suspended on “Ilorin-Jebba Road for over one year because the contractors were not paid.
He said from Oloru axis of the road to about 41km was in perfect condition.
“Though the rain has slowed us down, the remaining 15km from Beri-Beri about 79.3 kilometres from Jebba town is in deplorable condition.
“We have an understanding with the contractor to make that portion passable during the rainy season and we have been doing that.
“The contractors came back this year and have requested now for another two years from January 2016 to January 2018.
“I can say that if the budgetary provision is sustained, the contractors have the capacity to deliver the project at the end of next year,” he said.
In Ekiti, residents appealed to the Federal Government to give priority to the rehabilitation of roads in the state.
Ewi of Ado Ekiti, Oba Adeyemo Adejugbe, said the 15km expansion project between Ado Ekiti and Ifaki Ekiti, started four years ago, had yet to be completed.
Also, Ogoga of Ikere Ekiti, Oba Ayodele Adu, said the road linking Ikere Ekiti with Akure had become deplorable.
He also said the road linking Ikere Ekiti with Ado Ekiti was bad until the state government rehabilitated it recently.
However, the Federal Controller of Works in Ekiti, Mr Tayo Obembe, said work would resume soon on the roads.
In Osun, the Federal Controller of Works in Osun, Mr Wasiu Atitebi said work had resumed on Gbongan-Iwo Road, Ogbomosho/Oko/Ilobu/Ifon/Osogbo Road and Osogbo-Ilesa Road, following a directive by the Federal Government. (NAN)
Reporters/DUA/JCE
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Edited by Dada Ahmed/Chukwudi Ekezie