Senate Tasks FG To Embark On Highways Rehabilitation To Check Mishaps

Posted by African Examiner Latest Headlines, National News, News Wednesday, August 5th, 2015

By Ganiyu Nasirudeen – The Nigerian Senate has declared a state of emergency on the country’s road infrastructures and called on the Federal government (FG) to embark on immediate rehabilitation as well as dualization of major highways and interstate roads across the country.

The motion which was sponsored by 90 Senators was moved Wednesday at the plenary by a member of the Senate’s ad-hoc committee on Information, Media and Publicity, Senator Dino Melaye, representing Kogi West Senatorial district.

Following the motion, the Senate directed its Ad-hoc committee on works, to commence the audit of all road projects across the length and breadth of the country so as to produce raw data for necessary legislative action.

Similarly, the Senate demanded FG to reorganize the Federal Ministry of Works and its agencies, in particular, the Federal Road Maintenance Agency (FERMA) with the objective of overhauling it, basically to face the task of mending and maintaining the Nigerian roads.

Specifically, the motion was prompted by the incessant mishaps on the Nigerian roads, which had claimed many souls.

The Senators lamented poor maintenance of road infrastructure, in spite of huge sums, so far expended on road construction and rehabilitation since 1999.

Among the roads cited and identified to require urgent attention include: Lagos-Shagamu-Ibadan expressway; AYA-Nyanya-Mararaba road‎; Maiduguri-Monguno-Marte-Dikwa road; Makurdi- Otukpo road as well as Benin-Ore-Shagamu roads.