South East
Minister of Power Babatunde Fashola
The President Muhammadu Buhari led Federal Government has said the South South and South East roads are the worst in Nigeria.
This was disclosed by the Minister of Power, Works and Housing, Babatunde Fashola, when appearing before the Senate Committee on Federal Roads Maintenance Agency (FERMA), headed by Senator Magnus Abe.
Fashola noted that some of the major federal roads in the 11 states were constructed before the 1967-1970 Nigerian Civil War, and that efforts were being put in place to fix the roads.
Speaking, Senator Abe said senators who are the true representatives of the people were usually sidelined by heads of Ministries, Departments and Agencies of the Federal Government when mulling siting of projects.
He said: ”As elected representatives of the people, if the Federal Government is doing anything in your areas, our inputs are hardly needed. We will then have to fight for relevance.
”We are meeting you because of the challenges FERMA, which is under your supervision, is facing. Is this agency relevant in your scheme of things in your ministry? We need you to touch on the core challenges of this agency.”
Responding, Fashola said: ”When we did the audit of our roads, we discovered that some sections are bad. Many roads have outlived their lifespans. Many roads in the South-East and South South were built before the civil war. They are among the worst in the country. They need to be replaced.
”Funds generated from Sukuk have not been released because of the conditions tied to them. We will try and repair the roads before people start travelling for the festivities in December. We are doing something about that.”
