- Agency Report
They made the disclosure while responding to a News Agency of Nigeria (NAN) Survey, entitled, “Terrible State of Nigerian Roads.’’
The Federal Controller of Works, Enugu State, Mr Smart Okpi, told NAN that requests had been made and approval granted for contractors handling various roads to effect repairs on failed spots/portions without further delays.
Okpi said that the project tagged ‘Ember Months Repairs’, started few weeks ago with some bad spots of the single lane of Enugu-Abakaliki Road, which started from the New Market Roundabout, Enugu, being fixed.
According to him, when that bad spots on New Market Roundabout-FRSC-NYSC-All Saints Church axis of the Enugu-Abakaliki Road were fixed by the contractor handling the dualisation of the road, most residents thought it was the state government doing it.
He said, “We are doing repairs on bad spots of the Aba-Port Harcourt bound section of the Enugu-Port Harcourt Dual Carriageway being handled by the contractor doing the ongoing reconstruction work.
“We also have ongoing work on bad spots on 9th Mile-Opi Road; 9th Mile-Nsukka-Obolloafor Road and 9th Mile-Amansea-Awka Old Road, being done by the contractors handling the various reconstructions of these roads.
“There is ongoing filling of these roads with stones, granites, sands and laterite in the bad spots to make them motorable for yuletide and beyond.
“The repairs are ongoing even as the actual reconstruction is also ongoing and to be completed by the same contractors handling the projects as part of an afore-agreed terms with the contractors to reduce waste and duplication.”
Okpi said that the Ministry of Works remained committed to making all Federal roads in Enugu State good and motorable to ensure ease of travel on the roads before, during and after the yuletide.
Corroborating, the Enugu State Commissioner for Works, Chief Gerald Otiji, said that Gov. Peter Mbah had turned the state to a huge construction and reconstruction site, as the government had embarked on fixing all urban roads.
Otiji noted that all bad spots of critical link state roads had been given quick intervention, adding that the state government had also given attention to Federal roads serving the people of the state.
“No road requiring attention will be left untouched and we will make quick interventions on critical link roads in the state especially within Enugu metropolis to lessen burden on our people and improve the economy,” he said.
NAN reports that some newly inaugurated chairmen in council areas in the state had flagged off construction and reconstruction of rural roads as well as expansion of pathways to make them motorable and check insecurity.
Reacting, a commercial truck driver, Mr Chisom Ikedife, noted that bad spots on roads especially major Federal roads caused trucks and articulated vehicles to burn expensive diesel waiting in traffic gridlocks.
“These failed spots of the major roads, when fixed by the government before yuletide, will ameliorate the hardship that road users face, particularly truck, long buses and articulated vehicle drivers,” Ikedife said.
In Ebonyi, the Federal Roads Maintenance Agency (FERMA) in the state, said it had launched “Operation Connect to your Destinations” on Abakaliki-Enugu highway as part of efforts to checkmate deplorable condition of roads ahead of the yuletide.
Mr Akinyemi Ojo, Federal Roads Maintenance Engineer (FRME) in the state, said the Agency was committed to road repairs for expectant travellers as Christmas drew closer.
He listed some of the highways to include: Abakaliki-Afikpo, Abakaliki-Ogoja-Cross River state border.
“We also have Abakaliki-Oferekpe-CrossRiver, Owutu-Amasiri, Oso-Eda-Nguzo-Ohafia road, Afikpo-Unwana, Amasiri-Okposi among others,”.
According to him, only two roads are captured under the trunk “A” highway category in Ebonyi and these are: Abakaliki-Ogoja-Cross River expressway and Abakaliki-Enugu expressway.
“We have launched operation connect to your destinations ahead of Christmas for travellers to achieve smooth journey and that was done under Abakaliki-Enugu highway.
“The reason is basically to achieve free potholes on our roads because roads are very important to economic sustainability,” he stated.
Ojo noted that some road failures were caused from human activities.
“People usually dump wastes on roadsides and into drains, causing blockages. When drains are blocked, flooding occur on the carriageways, which lead to asphalt failure,” he explained.
A Driver, Mike Dibia, commended FERMA on the work progress along Abakaliki-Enugu expressway, calling for more proactive measures for improved repair.
Dibia, who noted that the deplorable parts of roads were not only in Ebonyi, also stressed the need for improvement on maintenance culture, especially along the Enugu-Onitsha and Enugu-Port Harcourt Expressways.
“Well, majority of the nation’s road network was constructed between the 80s and 90s, with a larger portion of them currently deteriorated because of poor maintenance.
“Even when the existing roads are constructed or supposedly maintained, it soon falls into disrepair due to the use of low-quality materials. We urge the three tiers of government to step up plans,” he said.
Mr Innocent Obiahu, Operation Manager of Ebonyi Transport Services (EBOTRANS), said there was need to prioritise road maintenance in the efforts to tackle deplorable roads.
“Our members are suffering seriously, especially on roads outside Ebonyi. We record series of losses from vehicles breakdown. We suffer gridlock among others.
“Basically, our government here in Ebonyi is trying. The roads connecting villages and communities are well constructed,” Obiahu added.
Meanwhile, the Anambra portion of the dual carriage Enugu-Onitsha expressway has become a one-way movement, following the construction of the Enugu bound lane between Onitsha and Immigration junction in Awka.
NAN survey in the area revealed that the Onitsha bound lane remains closed due to ongoing construction work and total failure of some portions which had degenerated to gully erosion.
The stretch from Odumodu junction to Igbariam is deserted as a result of total failure, while Igbariam to Ukpo is closed to traffic owing to construction work.
From Immigration junction to Amansea, the Enugu bound lane is closed and traffic diverted to Onitsha bound lane for about a decade now, while the existing side has collapsed because of excess axial load.
Commercial drivers, who spoke to NAN, said that the condition of the road placed a high maintenance burden on motorists, increased the travel time, also causing accident and posed a security threat.
Mr Geoffrey Onovo, an interstate commercial transport operator, said the poor condition of the road did not only place a high maintenance burden on motorists but also increased the travel time.
Onovo said a journey that would take one hour, 30 minutes between Onitsha and Enugu now took up to three hours to cover, adding that the compression of traffic in one lane increased the rate of traffic crash.
“We are happy that some parts of the road have been constructed, at least going to Enugu is relatively easy but coming back is full of risk, bad roads and face-to-face with traffic from the opposite direction is dangerous.
“We are calling on the Federal Government to come and do some palliatives, so that the damage on our vehicle can be reduced,” he said.
Another commercial driver, Mr Ephraim Okechukwu, said that recently potholes on the road damaged two of his realms.
“If we increase transport fares because of vehicle maintenance, our passengers will complain.
“With the current condition of the road, we are gambling with our vehicles, sometimes we have to borrow money for maintenance.
“Right now, some of our members have parked their vehicles due to lack of funds to maintain them,” he said.
Okechukwu appealed to both the state and federal governments to rehabilitate the road to fastrack movement.
He said the bad roads also posed serious security risks to road users as criminals could utilise the opportunity of slow movement to strike. NAN