Victor Ogunje in Ado Ekiti
The Chairman of the House Committee on Federal Road Maintenance Agency, Hon Femi Bamisile Saturday lamented the condition of federal roads nationwide, noting that most of the roads had become death traps.
He condemned the state of federal roads while inspecting the collapsed bridge that caved during downpour in Ado Ekiti last Monday.
Bamisile appealed to the federal government to rescind the decision barring the states from reconstructing federal roads across the federation.
At the inspection, the lawmaker urged President Muhammadu Buhari to declare emergency in the road sector, saying it would remain the best way to tackle decrepit conditions of the federal roads.
Bamisile said the directive from the Minister of Works, Mr. Babatunde Fashola that the states should refrain from reconstructing federal roads should not have come at a time the federal government was financially incapacitated like we are experiencing.
He said: “It is disturbing to hear that two institutions, Afe Babalola University and Federal Polytechnic and a section of Ado Ekiti capital city were cut off by flood and a man was killed in the process.
“It was disturbing that a man was killed during the flood I was devastated by the news, because we were elected to defend the rights of our people.
“The House of Representatives will debate the order and address it properly because we can’t subject our people to hardship of bad roads most of which have become death traps.
“The deplorable states of our roads is disturbing and that order coming at a time like this when the FG has no capacity to give necessary attention to these roads across the federation makes it imperative for the House of Representatives to address the situation.
“Governor Kayode Fayemi even told me that he has a letter from the Federal Ministry of Works on his table telling him not to rehabilitate federal roads, that it should be left for the federal to undertake. I am assuring Nigerians that the National Assembly will look into the matter”, he said.
Bamisile commended Kayode Fayemi and the founder of ABUAD, Chief Afe Babalola (SAN), for the palliatives they provided on the bridge to reconnect the disconnected communities.
“I want to say that FG must declare emergency in road sector without delay. Our roads are bad and as representatives of the people, we must give them quality services having voted for us. We do not have to wait and allow the people to die before taking actions.”
