Centre for Anti-Corruption and Open Leadership (CACOL), a coalition of civil society organisations, has written to President Muhammadu Buhari, drawing the attention of the Presidency to the deplorable state of federal roads in Lagos and Ogun States.
CACOL attributed the road collapse to what it termed outright neglect by the Federal Roads Maintenance Agency (FERMA).
The anti-corruption coalition, also accused the Governor Babajide of Lagos State of failing to honour the promises he made to rehabilitate all the roads within the state.
In a three-page letter addressed to President Buhari, the executive chairman of CACOL, Debo Adeniran described as horrible what commuters and other road users are going through on federal roads in the two states. .
The coalition in the letter observed that “FERMA has not lived up to expectation going by the present state of roads in the country. Most of the federal roads that dotted the length and breadth of the country are crying for attention.”
It faulted the claims of by the minister of finance, budget and national planning, Zainab Ahmed that most of the bad roads in Nigeria belong to the states, just as it also criticised a statement linked to the minister of works and housing, Babatunde Fashola that Nigerian roads “are not as bad as people think.”
The works and housing minister’s comment, the coalition said is “an indication that some people occupying public offices are not in tune with the terrible realities of their fellow citizens’ daily experience.”
The group further posited that the roads apart turning death traps, are factors increased incidences of crimes such as kidnapping and armed robberies, in addition to loss of lives and productive man-hours.
It said the current state of the Lagos-Sango Ota-Abeokuta Expressway that links Lagos and Ogun “is appalling and an eyesore as virtually all sections of the road had completely broken down.
“Major bus stops like Obadeyi, Kola, Salolo, Moshalashi, Alakuko, Toll-Gate, Joju among others are characterised by crater-sized potholes and gullies resulting in commuters and motorists spending long hours in traffic.
“The road conditions have resulted in accidents and damage to health and vehicles which are immeasurable in monetary terms. Sometimes, petrol tankers and container trucks have fallen at bad portions of the road, causing havoc to people,” the letter said.
“More annoying is the fact that the ministry of works and housing which happens to be the supervising ministry of FERMA is maintaining an unholy silence.”
The letter noted that the roads, which are within the purview of the states, “are not better. In fact, state-owned roads are just as horrible as the stretches of roads controlled by the federal government,” CACOL said.
It noted that in Lagos State, the dividends of democracy which the Sanwo-Olu’s administration promised to deliver to the people in terms of infrastructure development “are nowhere to be found.”
