Deplorable Roads: Ekiti Reps Member Tasks FG On Need To Embrace Concrete Tarring

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*berates  N30bn allocation to FERMA

By; OLADELE ADEDAYO, Ado-Ekiti

The Chairman, House of Representatives Committee on Federal Road Maintenance Agency, Hon Femi Bamisile, has called on the Federal government to adopt concrete tarring of its roads network across the country with a view to ensuring durability of the project.

The Federa lawmaker said the staggering sum of N460 billion budgeted for construction and maintenance of federal roads in 2021 appropriation law was not having any positive effect on Nigerians.

Lamenting on the state of federal roads and how commuters were being stuck on them due to collapsed bridges or cases of deplorable conditions, Bamisile described the N30 billion allocated to FERMA out of the budgetary provision to Works Ministry, as “paltry, wicked and insensitive”.

Bamisile,who is representing Gbonyin/Ekiti East/Emure federal constituency, at the National Assembly on the platform of the All Progressives Congress(APC) said this in Aramoko-Ekiti, Ekiti West Local government area of Ekiti State on Saturday, while addressing some angry commuters, who got stranded along Igede-Aramoko -Efon Road.

According to him:”The best and most modern method of construction now is Concrete tarring. That  was what Dangote adopted in construction of Lokoja-Obajana road. The government should also grant tax relief to Dangote for it to be able to perform more Corporate Social responsibilities to Nigerians. If the Company is allowed to do this, it will help us.

“All these we are experiencing on our roads should not be happening in a city, it can only happen in the jungle”, Bamisile stated

Bamisile, who lamented the harrowing experiences of the motorists, said FERMA had begun reconstruction of a bridge that collapsed at Ijan-Ekiti, Gbonyin local government area and causing traffic gridlock along Ado-Ijan-Ikare road.

The federal parliamentarian, who branded what Nigerians were experiencing across the six geo-political zones as pathetic and disturbing, said: “I have met with the Minister of Works, Mr. Babatunde Raji Fashola several times on the terrible  conditions of the federal roads in Ekiti State and what Nigerians are passing through.

“This situation  is unfortunate and we have to find solutions to it. We leant that a bridge got cut off at Jebba in Kwara State and these heavy trucks from the  North and South now find Ekiti as the most convenient place to ply and that had further caused serious damage to both federal and state roads.

“I have moved round Ekiti and what I saw were disturbing. The bridge at Jebba had collapsed and made those going to the East, Central, far North,West and Southsouth of the country to be taking Ekiti route.

“On Friday, I saw about 1000 trucks along Ado- Akure road stranded because of bad road. I pity what Nigerians are passing through this time.

“The Federal Ministry of  Works got a total of  N460 billion in the budget and N30 billion was given to FERMA, this is too small for a body saddled with maintenance and rehabilitation  of roads across Nigeria. Nigerians cannot be treated this way.

“There should be a serious reform in the way our federal roads are being maintained. Let all the monies  being allocated be structured accordingly, so that Nigerians can be rescued from this mess.

“On my return to Abuja, I will take this matter up. I have been to the North, South and everywhere, we are experiencing bad roads and this is because of poor funding and this must change because Nigerians are really suffering”.

Bamisile,howeve pleaded with the stranded motorists not to resort to violence for they have no other country than Nigeria, saying he will ensure that all the barricades are removed for them to continue with their journeys.

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