FG Commences Nationwide Rehabilitation of Roads

The Federal Government has said works have begun on most damaged roads in the country, and that the projects being supervised by the Federal Ministry of Works and the Federal Road Maintenance Agency have reached various stages of completion.

A survey by the News Agency of Nigeria from different parts of the country revealed that the roads were under different degrees of rehabilitation.

The report indicated that three roads, the 58-kilometre Papalanto-Ilaro-Obelle road, the 68km Ogunmakin-Sagamu-Ogijo road and the 44km Sagamu Interchange-Papalanto road had been marked for rehabilitation at the cost of N1.6bn.

While the rehabilitation of the Papalanto-Ilaro-Obelle Road will cost N300m, the Ogunmakin-Sagamu-Ogijo Road will cost N300m and the Sagamu Interchange-Papalanto road will cost N1bn.

The Head of FERMA, Ogun State, Mr. Alexander Masoya, said the contracts were awarded to Messrs Perfect Ventures Limited and Messrs Kopek Ventures Limited.

Masoya, who said that jobs on most of the roads were nearing completion, adding that the Itokin-Ibebu-Ode and Olorunda-Imeko roads were also being considered for rehabilitation.

Report from Akwa Ibom State indicated that about 75 per cent of the highways in the state need reconstruction. The FERMA Head of Civil Engineering Department, Mr. Shola Onimagu, said in Uyo that 18 federal roads, covering 598km were in bad conditions.

“The roads are in deplorable conditions and required total reconstruction long before the establishment of FERMA,” he said.

Onimagu said out of the 18 federal roads, only nine were maintained in the last three years.

“The government of Akwa Ibom has assisted in repairing the Ikot-Oku-Ikono-Uyo-Itu road, covering 21km,’’ he said.

Onimagu blamed the collapse of Nigerian roads on the lack of railway transportation system, which had led to pressure on the existing roads, and urged the Federal Government to step in.

In Lagos, the Federal Controller of Works, Mr. Oluwatoyin Obikoya, said the Federal Government had placed orders for the supply of parts abroad to fix the Third Mainland Bridge.

Obikoya said the repair of the 11.8km bridge was part of the Federal Government’s effort to fix federal roads in the state.

It was gathered that plans were also being made to fix Federal Government roads in the other states and the Federal Capital Territory.

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