Sunday, January 5, 2014

TANGIBLE GAINS OF THE TRANSFORMATION AGENDA : 2014: Are Motorable Roads In Sight? ... LeadershipNews

Road
A couple of years ago, travelling on Nigerian roads, especially the federal highways was a nightmare to most Nigerians. The road and power sectors were rated by the citizens as the most neglected infrastructure by successive administration. In the last two years, the horizon is being brightening for the road sector and the year 2013 has stood out with some of the country’s notorious    roads turned to highways of pleasurable ride.
This is attested to by the testimonies of major stakeholders in the industry, road transporters, especially luxury buses operators.  For instance, in early July 2013, at the peak of the rainy season, members of the Association of Luxury Bus Owners of Nigeria paid a courtesy call on the Minister of Works, Arc. Mike Onolememen, in his office at Mabushi, Abuja. The curiosity of the visit lay in the fact that, rather than being an occasion to catalogue the woes of transporters, the latter came to express thanks for the vast improvement in the road network in the country. The luxury bus transporters were led by the association’s Secretary, Mr. Frank Nneji, who is also the founder of ABC Transport Company, which is quoted on the Nigerian Stock Exchange (NSE).
About six weeks before that courtesy visit, ABC Transport Company had slashed its fares in a widely published advert in The Punch newspaper of Monday, May 20, 2013, with the caption, “The Roads Are Getting Better,” and gave its reason solely as the marked improvement in the country’s arterial roads. Again, in October, the Chief Executive Officer of Ifesinachi Motors, Prince Emeka Mamah, added his voice of praise to the Federal Government for the remarkable turn-around in the state of our highways.
This is the fitting background to a deep appreciation of the steady transformation of federal highways through the urgent efforts to reclaim the national road network from the abject state of disrepair, which the President Goodluck Jonathan administration inherited. With unflagging commitment to the rehabilitation, construction, and expansion of highways, the Federal Government is catalysing economic growth and national integration through road transportation.  The wastages and suffering of a couple of years ago have been largely eliminated as travel times on some of the country’s notorious highways have been considerably reduced. This is why it is easy to appreciate the import of the courtesy visit by luxury bus owners to the minister of works, and the deserving praise they showered on him.
By June 2013, the Federal Ministry of Works had completed 32 road projects covering a distance of over 2,000km. These include the dualisation of Ibadan-Ilorin road section I (Ibadan-Oyo) in Oyo State; reconstruction of Vom-Manchok road in Plateau State; dualisation of Onitsha-Owerri Road (section I) and Onitsha Eastern Bypass, in Anambra State; completion of the rehabilitation of Funtua-Gusau-Sokoto road (section II: Gusau-Talata Mafara) in Zamfara and Sokoto states; completion of the rehabilitation of Katsina-Daura road in Katsina State, as well as completion of the rehabilitation of Ijebu Igbo-Ajegunle-Araromi-Ife-Sekona Road (section II) in Ogun State.
There are also a number of on-going road dualization projects of major arterial highways in the country. These include:  Abuja-Abaji-Lokoja Expressway; Kano-Maiduguri road; Lokoja-Okene-Benin road; construction of Loko-Oweto Bridge over River Benue with approach roads in Nasarawa and Benue states; dualisation of Suleja-Minna road in Niger State; rehabilitation of Benin-Ore-Sagamu Expressway, rehabilitation of Sokoto-Jega-Kontagora-Makera Road in Sokoto, Kebbi and Niger states; rehabilitation of Ilorin-Kabba-Obajana road in Kwara and Kogi states, and several others. What is heart-warming is that significant progress has been made in these on-going dualisation and rehabilitation projects.
In addition, the construction of a new bridge over River Benue at Loko-Oweto is transforming into a reality, with the structural members fast springing up from the under-waters. About 150 piles have been drilled along with one reinforced concrete abutment, while 22 piers have been constructed. The project has already reached about 35 per cent completion, ahead of the planned progress. To this, we should add the Second Niger Bridge at Onitsha, and the flag-off of the total reconstruction of the Lagos-Ibadan Expressway.  In fact, 2013 witnessed the flag-off of the reconstruction, or major repairs, of a number of very important roads, including Mokwa-Bida Road, Akure-Ilesa Road, Mbaise-Ngwa Road, Enugu-Port Harcourt Expressway, Sokoto-Tambuwal-Jega road, and Owerri-Umuahia road.
The conclusion is, therefore, inescapable that more happy motoring days beckon on federal highways.
Also, a number of roads have been given a new lease of life under the Road Development Programme of the Federal Ministry of Works via the Road Sector Development Team – the collaborative platform between the Federal Ministry of Works (on behalf of the Federal Government) and the World Bank. Some road projects that have benefitted from this programme are: Jebba-Lafiaji road in Niger State; Takai-Albasu-Gaya road in Kano State; Nafada-Gombe Abba road in Gombe State; Hong-Mubi road in Adamawa State; Okpala-Igwurita road in Imo State; Ado-Ilumoba-Agbado-Ikare road sections A  and B in Ekiti State; Dingaya-Galambi-Rungo road in Sokoto State; Rumukurshi-Chokocho road in Cross River State; Akure-Owo road in Ondo State; Kurfi-Chiranchi road in Katsina State; Lafiagi-Mokwa road in Niger State, and Lafia-Doma road in Nasarawa State.
All these are not paper projects or the proverbial elephant projects as Nigerians who ply them or are the host communities and beneficiaries have attested to the government’s commitment to their execution.
The Apapa-Oshodi Expressway was a source of embarrassment and agony to many Nigerians before the administration of President Jonathan. Serious attention has been given to the road, resulting to the completion of section I, while work is progressing on the Trailer Park, Dedicated Bridge leading to Tin-Can Island Port from Liverpool Round-about, and the entire section II, Phase II from Beachland Junction to Cele Bus Stop.
Work is almost completed on the Benin-Ofosu end of the road where motorists hitherto suffered prolonged delays occasioned by perennial failed sections. A major part of the road has been asphalted while work is progressing on the recently awarded contract for the reconstruction of the outstanding sections on Benin-Ofosu-Ore-Ajebandele-Sagamu (Phase III).
The Kano-Maiduguri dualisation project is the major arterial highway connecting Kano to Borno states, via Jigawa, Bauchi, and Yobe states. The road is 553km long and was awarded in five (5) sections to five contractors.  The progress of construction was however hampered recently due to insecurity leading to the kidnapping and death of some expatriate personnel. However, the Kano Western Bye-pass Flyover has been completed and opened to traffic. As government intensifies efforts at restoring normalcy in the North-East Zone where these projects are domiciled, the Federal Ministry of Works will also accelerate its pace of work.

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