•Nigerians bemoan unimaginable nightmares on collapsed federal roads
From Magnus Eze, Enugu, Oluseye Ojo, Ibadan, Paul Osuyi, Asaba and Femi Folaranmi, Yenagoa
Earlier in the week, Minister of Works, Dave Umahi earlier in the week lamented the dilapidated state of federal roads in the country. He had earlier embarked on a tour of federal roads where he also bemoaned the state of federal roads across the country.
But he wasn’t saying anything new to millions of Nigerians who on a daily basis continue to endure unimaginable hardship on federal-government-owned roads in every part of the country.
South-East: Deplorable federal roads from state to state
The South East arguably has the most dilapidated roads in Nigeria. Aside the highway that runs through Enugu-Abakaliki to Ikom, virtually every other major federal road in the region is in very pathetic state.
From the Enugu-Onitsha Expressway to the Enugu-Port Harcourt expressway, the story is pathetic. The Aba axis, particularly, is an eyesore. At some point, trees grew on some parts of the Enugu-Onitsha highway.
However, the worst road presently in the region is the Opi-Obollo Afor-Oturkpa section of the Enugu-Makurdi Road.
Businessmen and commuters lament over the condition of these roads on daily basis. The Aba Chamber of Commerce, Industry, Mines and Agriculture (ACCIMA), once again cried out over poor infrastructure, saying that the development was depriving the zone of a conducive environment for economic and industrial growth.
It therefore, demanded that representatives from the zone in the National Assembly should step up engagements with relevant federal ministries and agencies, towards convincing them on the urgent need to rehabilitate such infrastructures.
President of ACCIMA, Chief Jerry Kalu, who spoke on behalf of the business community, after analysing problems facing the ease of doing business in the South-East particularly the state of the roads, said the actions of the federal government seemingly connoted planned neglect and total abandonment.
Kalu told Saturday Sun that ACCIMA recently wrote to the Minister of Works, David Umahi, listing the federal roads needing urgent attention in Abia State.
“The roads include Enugu-Port Harcourt Expressway, Aba-Ikot Ekpene, Umuahia-Ikot Ekpene, Onitsha-Enugu Expressway, Owerri-Port Harcourt Expressway, Owerri-Aba Expressway, Obohia Road, Aba Dry Port, just to mention but a few,” he stated.
But even before the ACCIMA’s letter, Umahi, on assumption of office, commenced inspection of federal roads in various zones of the country.
Many have described Umahi’s appointment as the Minister of Works by President Bola Tinubu as a masterstroke in achieving the nation’s infrastructural development goals.
This is owing to the former Ebonyi State governor’s sterling record in aggressively addressing the infrastructural gap in his state during his eight-year tenure.
After concluding his tour of South West, Umahi was in the South East to ascertain and evaluate the level of work done by contractors and to ensure that they complied with agreed standard on all the projects.
The minister reaffirmed that construction work on all federal roads including the South East must be done in line with specification to avoid a situation where contractors will be compelled to return and repeat an already completed job.
He visited the Ozalla-Akpugo-Amangunze-Isu-Onicha Road with a spur to Onunwere in Enugu State and Old Enugu-Onitsha Road.
Others are Nenwe-Nomeh-Mburubu-Nara Road with a spur from Obeagu-Oduma Road, Nsukka-Ikem Road in Enugu and Eha Amufu-Nkalagu Road in Ebonyi State.
On September 6, the toured continued at Nenwe—Nomeh—Mbururu-Oduma Road in Enugu State; Ojo-Achieve-Mmaku-Awgu-Ndeabor Road with Spur in Enugu State and Ugueme-Nenwenta-Mkwe-Ebere-Awgunta-Obeage-Nmaku Road also in Enugu State.
The minister also inspected the Old Enugu-Onitsha Road (Opi Junction-Ukehe Okpatu-Adoh Udi-Oji to Anambra border) in Enugu State and the Umama-Ndiagu-Agba-Umumbu Road sections II in Enugu State.
At the Enugu-Port Harcourt Highway, Umahi directed the contractors to use concrete in the road construction to save costs and ensure its durability, adding that additional works on all the roads in the region be stopped until the completion of the major carriageways.
He also ordered contractors to ensure that henceforth, binder course on ongoing projects should be covered with asphalt within one month, bringing an end to the practice of leaving them open for many years.
“We noticed a couple of failures in some completed and uncompleted sections. Contractors must go back and amend them, I believe that bad asphalt resulted to the failure and we cannot take that.
“I have stopped certain payments until we are able to come together to review so-called additional works. Because of funding I have also directed that the spurs should come up in the second phase so that we will have to complete the carriageways first before we go to the spurs if we have funding. So far so good.
“I discovered something that is technically unprofessional where contractors will put binder course and leave it for five, six, seven years and then you find out that the binder course is failing, they come back to the ministry and say that the sub-grade is bad. And then a situation where they say let’s go for augmentation, let’s do a fresh binder course, it is not acceptable.
“The contractors that have done this, I have directed them to go back to site immediately to cover the binder course. Henceforth, no contractor will leave binder course for more than one month without covering it because binder cords admit water and the water affects the sub-grade,” he said.
The minister said that it was cheaper, safer and more durable to use concrete on South-East roads especially as “the bitumen imported into Nigeria for asphalt production is highly adulterated. Not all the roads in the South East are bad, the contractors are trying but we are going to re-scope the projects. So, we are looking at that, not just in the South East but basically in South East, South-South, South West and North Central. Most of our roads should be on concrete because of the terrain.”
He directed the director in charge of the South East, Bede Obioha to come up with recommendations for the accomplishment of his directives.
In Abia, he visited the Enugu-Port Harcourt expressway, the Lokpanta axis, the Ohafia-Arochukwu Road among others.
The minister, while in the states, met with the governors including Alex Otti (Abia), Ogbonna Nwifuru (Ebonyi) Hope Uzodimma (Imo) and Chukwuma Soludo (Anambra).
They praised Umahi, calling him a round peg in a round hole. Nwifuru appealed to the Works Minister to assist the state in getting reimbursement for federal roads rehabilitated during his tenure as Ebonyi governor.
Soludo said that all federal roads in Anambra State had failed and urged the Federal Government to do something urgently about it.
The governor, who stated that N2 billion was approved for repairs of a section of Onitsha-Owerri Road, lamented the collapse of the entire road.
According to him, the scenario was playing out in most federal roads across the state, due to poor maintenance.
He said the Second Niger Bridge might not be fully utilised if the Onitsha-Owerri Road was left in that deplorable state.
“In Anambra West, the road leading to Idah, Kogi State, there’s a direct route from Nzam to Lokoja. When that is constructed, travelling from Anambra to Abuja will be around 3 hours. That is a major game changing project that is worth venturing into.
“Once we rethink the framework for delivery of infrastructure, Nigeria will be a totally different place. Nigeria is a federation. You cannot stay in your state, clap with one hand and expect noise. You need the other hand which is the Federal Government, for things to work,” Soludo remarked.
Soludo disclosed that the state was spending up to N20billion on federal roads. He urged the Federal Government to work with state governments to develop a more efficient framework for delivering road infrastructure.
Umahi bemoaned the challenges posed by erosion in Anambra State. He expressed disappointment with the state of the Enugu-Onitsha Road, saying that he has summoned the contractors and consultants and will be meeting with them.
The minister enumerated the roads currently under construction in the state including the Ukpo, Dunukofia road, the rehabilitation of Ibaji section of Otuocha, Abali Ofieli, Orie Ama Etiti – Umuawulu road, Omor-Umuoikpa, Oba-Nnewi Road and Osammali-Ogwikpele road
South-West: Sheer agony on federal roads
For years, travellers in the South-West of Nigeria have been faced with an unyielding nightmare on their journeys, especially on some of the roads owned by the Federal Government in Lagos, Ogun, Oyo, Osun, Ondo and Ekiti States.
The Federal roads in the region are in a deplorable state, with the road from Ibadan-Ife Junction-Ilesha-Akure, bearing the brunt of it. This one road has seen many people lose their lives, become dispossessed of their valuables, or suffer varying degrees of injury based on fatal accidents due to its poor state.
Though the Federal Government has made some attempts to fix portions of the road, it was gathered that the pace has been far from satisfactory as the state of the highway majorly remains appalling.
The Ibadan-Akure highway can be divided into three parts: The first part stretches from Iwo Road Roundabout to Ife Junction. The second starts from Ife Junction to Iwaraja, which is where the dual carriage way stops. The third part is a single lane from Iwaraja to Akure via Owena.
The first two parts have become so bad that some private car owners would park their cars in Ibadan and continue their journey via commercial vehicles. The state of the road from Iwo Road Roundabout to Alakia is very good due to reconstruction works, but from Alakia to Asejire River, it has become deplorable. The government has reconstructed the road from Asejire River to Ikire, while Gbongan-Ife Junction to Ilesha remains very bad.
Truck drivers and motorists have resorted to driving against the traffic to avoid the potholes, ditches, and craters that have caused several accidents in the past, especially from Gbongon to Ife Junction. The deplorable state of the highway has compelled private car owners within the past few years to take drastic measures to avoid a situation whereby their vehicles would develop mechanical faults in the middle of nowhere.
Commercial drivers have also lamented that the inter-state roads in the South-West have been neglected by the Federal Government for far too long. One of them, Adekola Iwaloye, plying the Ibadan to Ado-Ekiti route, revealed that the Federal Government has neglected the South West in terms of fixing the inter-state roads.
His words: “From Iwo Road Roundabout to Ibadan Toll Gate, the road is not too bad. In fact, the road has been reconstructed from Iwo Road Roundabout to Alakia. From Alakia to Toll Gate is not also too bad. But from the Toll Gate to Asejire River, the road is in a terrible state. Also, the Federal Government has fixed the road from Asejire to Ikire. But from Ikire to Gbongon and Ife, the road is in a poor state. It is terrible. The potholes are too many and are very deep.
“Then, the tales of deplorable roads continue from Ife Junction to Iwaraja Junction in Ilesha, where travellers going to Akure will go straight and those going to Ado-Ekiti will turn to the left. But the road is good from Iwaraja Junction to Akure and it is also deplorable from the Iwaraja Junction to Ado-Ekiti.
“Driving on the road from Iwo Road Roundabout in Ibadan to Gbongon in Osun State, you have to maintain your lane. But from Gbongon to Ife, you have to veer to the lane that goes from the Ife axis to Ibadan because of the terrible condition of the lane that goes to Ife. You will divert to the lane that goes to Ife when you are about getting to Ife Junction.
“Then, from the Toll Gate after Ife Junction to Moro, the state of the road is also very bad. This has forced many motorists, including truck drivers to take to driving against the traffic by leaving their lane that goes to Akure for the ones that comes from Akure.
“It is also the same thing when you are coming to Ibadan. The lane that comes to Ibadan is fairly okay from Obadare’s church to Osu. But from Osu to Ife Junction, the road is in a bad state. So, drivers usually join the lane that goes to Akure and drive against the traffic to Ife Junction. This has caused a lot of road accidents, which led to deaths and injuries.
“We are very sad that the Federal Government has neglected the South West in terms of fixing the inter-state roads. Now, tell me, which of the inter-state roads in the South West is in a good state? None!”
The account narrated by another commercial driver, Tanimola Ayinde, who plies the Ibadan-Abuja route, was not different from the experience of Adekola Iwaloye.
Hear him: “The most deplorable part of the road is between Ibadan and Ife Junction. From Gbongan to Ife, drivers usually join the lane coming to Ibadan and drive against the traffic. This has caused many accidents on the road.
“Ife Junction to Ilesha is substantially fair. It is fair from Ife Junction up till the junction of the first Ilesha Expressway, but from there till Iwaraja Junction, it is terrible. But the lane from Ilesha to Ife Junction is in a very bad state.”
Motorists claim that after the flyover at Gbongan, drivers will cross to the other side of the road and drive against the traffic to Ife. The lane towards Ife is terrible from Gbongon to Akinlalu and Ife Roundabout. From Iwaraja Junction to Akure, the road is okay. But the road from Iwaraja Junction to Ado-Ekiti is in a bad state.
In the same vein, the Ibadan-Abeokuta Road has also been criticised due to its poor condition, while the Ibadan-Iwo-Osogbo Road remains in a bad state despite the collaboration between Oyo and Osun States in October 2022 to reconstruct the road.
For instance, the Iwo-Osogbo axis of the road, which is in Osun State, was impassable for 30 years, leading motorists to opt for the Ibadan-Gbongan-Odeomu-Osogbo route.
The Lagos-Ibadan Expressway, on the other hand, is at the verge of being completed and is now a delight to travellers. It begs the question of why the Federal Government has neglected other inter-state roads in the South-West of Nigeria.
In June 2018, the Federal Government approved the sum of N185billion for 14 roads, which included the Ado-Ifaki-Otun-Kwara State border in Ekiti State. Have the roads been unattended to? In September 2019, the Federal Government approved the reconstruction of the 112-kilometre Ibadan-Ife-Ilesa Road at the cost of N79billion. But the road remains largely in its dilapidated state, with just a small fraction of it reconstructed.
In Ekiti State alone, the Efon-Erio-Aramoko Road and the Ado-Ikere-Akure Road are reportedly in deplorable state. The same gory story was reported about Ifaki-Ayebode-Omuo road that links the state to Abuja, the Federal Capital Territory.
Heavy-duty vehicles travelling to Abuja or returning to Lagos have been causing damage to state-owned roads constructed by the administration of former Governor Kayode Fayemi in Ekiti State. This, as gathered, led to the closure of Ado-Ilawe-Igbara-Oke Road at Ilawe, making motorists travel over 30 kilometres instead of the original 11 kilometres.
In Ondo State, the Elegbaka-Ifon Road, Ipele-Idoani-Abuja Road, Akure-Owena-Ondo Road, as well as the Ado-Akure Road, among others, are also in a sorry state. The recent heavy rains have also washed off some portions of the road. The Ondo State House of Assembly at its parliamentary meeting held on Tuesday September 12, 2023, decried the state of federal roads in the state, describing it as an eyesore.
Just last week, Ondo residents lamented the state of the Ondo-Akure road, claiming the road had totally collapsed.
As commercial drivers navigate through the South West of Nigeria and travellers continue to lament the state of the roads, residents, commuters and analysts have insisted it is high time the Federal Government rose to the occasion by fixing the deplorable roads in the axis before more lives are lost.
South-South: Endless trauma for longsuffering road users
In the South-South region of the country, many federal roads remain in a terrible state. The non-completion of the East-West Road, for instance, has assumed the status of a Sisyphean project. Many insist it has become an endless blight on good governance in Nigeria. The road which passes through major oil producing states in the country was first awarded by the former President Olusegun Obasanjo administration in the wake of the agitations by militants in the Niger Delta region. It was conceived to be a 675-kilometre dual carriageway stretching from Calabar up to Itu, both in Cross Rivers State, to Eket in Akwa- Ibom, Eleme/ Onne, Port Harcourt, Ahoada, Mbiama in Rivers State, Kaiama/ Sagbama, Adagbabiri in Bayelsa State, Patani/ Ughelli/ Sapele/ Warri in Delta State, Ologbo/ Benin in Edo State which now links travellers to Ore in Ondo State.
Investigations revealed that major sections of the road in Edo State, Delta, Bayelsa and Rivers are in very bad shape. Such areas as Ologbo in Edo State, the whole of Bayelsa State, Mbiama to Rumuji and Eleme to Onne in Rivers State are an eye-sore.
Travellers suffered untold agony on a daily basis passing through the road. Gridlocks at Eleme/ Road, Ahoada, Mbiama, Ologbo keeps motorists for hours because of the deplorable state of the road. The 2022 flood has made it worse with devastating effects.
When in 2006 it was conceived at the cost of N211 billion, investigations revealed that it had no design and it was not even included in the 2007 Budget. Obasanjo’s successor, Umaru Musa Yar Adua in recognition of the demands of the Movement for the Emancipation of the Niger Delta (MEND) created the Ministry of Niger Delta Affairs to focus principally on the East/ West Road and ensure its completion by April 2009. However the sickness that dogged his tenure affected the fortunes of the road.
The elevation of Dr Goodluck Jonathan as President and his subsequent election as President in 2011 gave a ray of hope for the completion of the road. The Jonathan administration reviewed the cost of the project from N211 billion to N726 billion.
Checks indicated that on August 18, 2011, the FEC approved N245.9 billion as augmentation sum for Sections I, II-I and II-II of the East-West Road. The contract sum of Section I (Warri-Kaiama) in Delta State was also revised from N64.1bn to N112.16bn while that of Section II-I (Port-Harcourt-Ahoada-Kaiama) in Rivers State was jerked up from N29.9bn to N48.9bn; and Section II-II (Ahoada-Kaiama) in Rivers/Bayelsa States from N44.8bn to N84.759bn.
Furthermore a sum of N671 million was on October 24, 2012 approved for the contract for consultancy services for the engineering design of the extension of the East-West Road (Section IV) from Oron in Akwa Ibom State to Calabar in Cross River State.
Investigations revealed that in 2014 alone, a total sum of N479.2 billion was approved for the project and on October 22, another sum of N165.25bn was approved for the construction of Phase I, Section V of the road from Uyo/Oron Roundabout in Akwa Ibom State to Calabar-Odukpani Road in Calabar, Cross Rivers State.
The FEC also approved N269.383 billion as ‘revised estimated total cost 2’ for the variation of engineering construction contracts for the dualisation of the East-West Road, Section I (Warri-Kaiama) in Delta State and Section II: Subsection II-I (Port Harcourt to Ahoada) in Rivers State and Subsection II-II (Ahoada-Kaiama) in Rivers/Bayelsa States.
On November 12, 2014, a sum of N43.9 billion was approved for the upgrading of the 15 kilometres of the Section III of the road – Port Harcourt from Eleme Junction to Onne Port Junction in Rivers State,
The Federal Executive Council on December 3, 2014, approved N661.33 million for engineering supervision of the construction of Section V of the road (Oron-Calabar), Phase I in Akwa Ibom/Cross River States.
In spite of all these approvals, Jonathan left government in 2015 without completing the East-West Road. The former President Muhammadu Buhari administration also promised to complete the road. In June 2020, Buhari approved the sum of N19.7billion for the completion of Sections I-IV of the East-West road.
Prominent Niger Deltan indigenes have called on the Federal Government to speed up the completion of the project.
One of them is Bishop of Bomadi Vicariate of the Catholic Church, Bishop Hayincth Egbebo who pleaded with the Federal Government to save the people of the Niger Delta region from needless road accidents that have continued to claim lives because of the deplorable state of the East/ West road.
Egbebo, who has continued to appeal to those in authority to ensure the completion of the road, said he almost got killed on the East-West Road.
“The road has become a death trap. I use this road very often. I almost got killed when a trailer fell on the road due to potholes. Niger Deltans are tired. Spare our lives and fix the East-West Road.”
Also speaking on the East-West Road, Niger Delta Ethnic Nationalities Youth Leaders Council (NDENYC) led by Mr Terry Obieh has expressed dissatisfaction over the continuous delay in the construction and completion of the East-West Road which the Federal Government kicked off about 14 years ago.
Obieh who made this known when he visited the Managing Director of the Niger Delta Development Commission (NDDC), Dr Samuel Ogbuku said the state of the road is unacceptable.
“It is now a matter of urgency to prioritise the completion of the East-West Road that has been under construction for over 14 years and still counting, in conjunction with the Ministry of Niger Delta, for we cannot anticipate the action of the youths in the nearest future as the road is becoming a death trap for commuters.”
Bayelsa State Governor, Senator Douye Diri has also added his voice to the non-completion of the East-West Road.
Speaking when the Minister of Niger Delta Development, Dr Abubakar Momoh visited him in Bayelsa State Government House, Diri said Niger Deltans have yet to feel the impact of the Ministry since its establishment.
“Niger Deltans want to feel the impact of the ministry. At the moment, it is too far from the people of the region. Not by its location, but impact. As of now, the people have been alienated.
“For example, we want to see the speedy completion of the East-West Road and other tangible projects in the region so that the goose that lays the golden egg is not allowed to wallow in poverty.
“Last year, Bayelsa State was cut off from civilisation during the flood. The East-West Road was totally cut off. We appeal to the President to come to our rescue. Something urgent has to be done to ensure that Bayelsa is not cut off again this year,” he complained.
Ibenenaowei of Ekpetiama Kingdom and Chairman, Council of Traditional Rulers in Bayelsa State, Bubaraye Dakolo Agada IV, during the 2023 electioneering for the presidency, told President Bola Ahmed Tinubu what the people want on the East-West road.
“The East West Road, as important as it is, has remained a construction site for many years. And this year’s devastating flow showed clearly that whatever work so far done, was not so well done, as the flood waters easily cut through the road in two strategic segments, isolating Bayelsa State from the rest of the country from the East and West and left for dead. The right number, and right sizes of bridges and culverts would have prevented our agony but they were not in place. Would you commit to completing that project speedily, please?”
Federal roads otherwise called Trunk A roads, across Delta State are in very deplorable condition, occasioning tales of woes by motorists. The roads which connect major cities and states across geopolitical zones have turned into a nightmare for travellers.
These include the Benin-Asaba-Onitsha, Warri-Sapele-Benin, Sapele-Agbor-Ewu, East-West, Asaba-Illah-Auchi-Okene, DSC-Aladja-Ovwian-Mofor-Effurun-NPA roads among others.
The Sapele-Agbor-Ewu and Warri-Sapele-Benin roads, however, are prominently in bad shape, requiring comprehensive rehabilitation and reconstruction.
Characterised by deep gullies and ditches in countless spots, most of the roads have expired and in dire need of excavation and complete resurfacing.
The deplorable conditions of the roads have reduced the critical infrastructure to death traps and sources of security concerns. Held up in long hours, commuters are always in anguish as motorists meander through the now difficult terrains.
For instance, motorists and commuters plying Warri-Sapele-Benin and Sapele-Agbor-Ewu roads have been groaning over the years without respite as occasional palliative interventions by the state government do not stand the test of time.
Apart from the loss of man hours on the dilapidated roads and the attendant mechanical impacts on vehicles, economic activities in numerous communities are very low ebb due to inaccessibility.
At least, 10 communities between Okpare Waterside and Amukpe Roundabout on the Sapele axis alone of the Warri-Sapele-Benin road are economically affected due to the collapse of commerce owing to the dilapidated infrastructure.
Commercial drivers from Warri no longer take Benin-bound passengers to their desired destination. They drop them off at Koko junction from where they board motorcycles popularly known as Okada, to take them through the by-pass.
Besides, some road users and motorists have continuously raised the alarm that the bad condition of the roads also exposes them to armed robbery attacks, particularly at night.
More so, vehicles break down on the bad spots and are abandoned there. Tankers fall down while trying to meander through failed portions, further causing obstructions.
As expected, the sorry conditions of the roads have attracted the attention of the National Assembly with federal lawmakers from the state raising it in both chambers under matters of urgent national importance.
But the resolutions adopted during plenary are sadly not implemented by the appropriate agencies of the executive organ of the Federal Government.
Annually, the state government usually intervened to at least make the roads motorable with remedial works especially during the dry season. However, such palliative interventions immediately give way as soon as the rains set-in in the preceding year.
Meanwhile, our correspondent learnt that such interventions had been stalled in the last two years, partly as a result of the Federal Government decision stopping states from fixing failed federal roads during the President Muhammadu Buhari administration.
Moreover, before the electioneering season when the state specifically indicated its willingness to intervene on the Sapele-Agbor-Ewu and Warri-Sapele-Benin roads, the then Deputy Senate President, Ovie Omo-Agege disclosed that the projects had been approved for award by the then President.
Regardless, the state governor, Mr. Sheriff Oborevwori has expressed worries over the deplorable nature of federal road traversing the state, saying that steps would be taken to reduce the suffering of motorists and other users of the failed roads. Commissioner for Works in charge of rural and riverine roads, Charles Aniagwu, told journalists in Asaba at the end of the State Executive Council meeting that Oborevwori was very concerned about the harrowing experiences of motorists on the failed roads.
Aniagwu said the governor has directed the two Ministries of Works to carry out remedial interventions on the roads particularly the Asaba-Benin and Sapele-Agbor highways.