By Felix Ofou
Recently, the Federal Government unveiled plans, through the Minister of Works, David Umahi, for a massive upgrade of the Third Mainland Bridge in Lagos State, following the N21 billion spent on emergency repairs late last year.
The minister revealed that the government had allocated a fresh N3.8 trillion to tackle deep structural issues threatening the bridge’s viability. He said underwater and structural assessments of the bridge revealed severe damage caused by illegal sand mining, erosion, and corrosion to its piles and piers.
Umahi disclosed that the findings were similar to those from earlier studies on the Carter Bridge, also in Lagos State, which was found to be beyond repair, saying that Julius Berger had recommended its full replacement, estimated to cost N359 billion.
Of course, we are familiar with the Minister’s passion in the pursuit of the Lagos-Calabar Coastal highway, estimated at a whopping cost of N15 trillion ($13 billion), with the first 30 kilometers already completed and commissioned by President Bola Ahmed Tinubu. The highway reportedly spans over 700 kilometers.
The works minister, an engineer and former Governor of Ebonyi State, has also spoken about the Sokoto-Lagos super highway, spanning almost 1000 kilometers, which is also expected to gulp trillions of naira.There are talks about a likely Maiduguri-Calabar or Maiduguri-Port Harcourt highway, which cost would surpass the trillion naira threshold.
Ordinarily, the announcement of these mega projects should bring joy to the faces of Nigerians. They should be happy that the Federal Government is willing and committed to investing heavily in road infrastructure, thereby leading to massive transformation of the country’s landscape and provision of needed access for the evacuation of goods and services.
But, Nigerians are disappointed that the Minister has opted to play the ostrich and ignore the fundamental problems afflicting road infrastructure in the country. Is it a case of deliberately turning a blind eye or gross insensitivity to the real problems affecting most Federal Government roads? Or has the minister severed himself from the grassroots, so much so as not to know what is obtainable at that level?
The truth is, there are few, if not nearly non-existent federal roads that can be said to be passable. Indeed, we are daily confronted with a kaleidescope of abandoned, neglected and deplorable road infrastructure in the country. Federal roads are not only death traps, but have turned out to be places for sudden deaths and destruction of property running into billions of naira.
Aside Insecurity which remains a major bane in Nigeria, absence of a viable road infrastructure has led to the loss of goods and has been identified as the root cause of the prohibitive cost of goods and hyper inflation affecting us till date.
Yet, when Umahi took office as minister of works, there was wide jubilation among the populace. Apart from being an engineer, Nigerians knew the massive road infrastructure that characterised his tenure as Governor of Ebonyi State. They were expectant that the best man had been appointed and that almost qimmediately, the landscape would be transformed with better roads and greater accessibility.
Nigerians rightly commended the on-the-spot assessments which Umahi undertook round the country few days after he resumed as minister. On one occasion, the minister was reported to have endured a 14 hour road trip from Abuja to Benin, a journey of not more than six hours if the road was good. Photo-ups of the former governor and vehicles in a gridlock on the highways were received with deep anticipation that the man would deliver quickly.
Sadly, the story has not changed for almost two years since Umahi took over. No road has been commissioned, apart from the first phase of the Lagos-Calabar Coastal highway. The craters and gullies on our highways remain, and have expanded immeasurably. Several federal roads have been totally blocked. Bridges? Same story of disrepair.
The neglect in federal roads is not limited to one single region in the country. From Maiduguri to Kano, Abuja to Kano, Jos to Abuja, Lagos to Ilorin, Lagos to Ibadan, Enugu to Port Harcourt, Benin to Lagos, Asaba to Auchi-Benin-Ekpoma-Auchi-Abuja highway and Lagos to Badagry, the deplorable state of these roads speaks volumes of how much has been left undone since the minister took over office.
Edo and Delta States have worse tales to tell. All federal roads in and out of these two states are impassable. The East West road, a major artery for oil business and movement of goods and services for the people of the Niger Delta have been largely unattended to. Just what has Umahi achieved in the last two years?
A month ago, I had the misfortune of travelling from Asaba to Auchi, a journey of not more than four hours. The trip lasted for 13 hours. The road around Udumuje Ugboko was almost cut off. Utomi, once a beautiful town has become an eyesore because of ditches, deep gullies and potholes that litter the place. The trip from Ewu junction to Auchi took us eight hours instead of an hour. We left Asaba by 2pm and got to our destination 3.30am next day.
Imagine the loss of man-hours, manpower and toll on the human body. What of the risk and foreboding threat from kidnappers, bandits and terrorists? Well, I found out that these have been the lot of motorists plying that road. Same experience for commuters using the Lagos Badagry highway, Benin to Sagamu, and the East-West road. So also has been the lot of people moving from Kano to Maiduguri and back.
Therefore, I appeal to the minister to have a rethink of strategy. It is not enough to make promises. Nigerians want to “eye mark” rather than earmark projects. The litany of uncompleted or abandoned roads in the country does not do his legacy any good.
Yes, Nigerians showed some understanding when former Lagos State Governor, Babatunde Fashola, was the works minister. That was because Fashola, a Senior Advocate of Nigeria (SAN) is a lawyer. But Umahi is an engineer. History will not be so kind to the minister if our Federal roads continue to end the lives of many and remain a cog in the wheel of doing business.
While Umahi is focused on how to rebuild the third mainland bridge and erect super highways, efforts should turn immediately to existing infrastructure and revamping them. We must halt the daily carnage and restore real hope in the people who are affected by the current state of affairs. It is possible to do the right thing.
