…We’re doing our best, says Work Ministry
By Emma Amaize, Regional Editor, South-South, Soni Daniel, Dayo Johnson, Sam Oyadongha, Olasunkanmi Akoni, Wole Mosadomi Ademola Akinyemi, Bashir Bello, Ndahi Marama, Peter Duru, Therese-Marie Nanlong, Steve Oko, Jeff Agbodo, Charly Agwam, Femi Bolaji, Idris Salisu, Haruna Aliyu, Musa Ubandawaki, Abel Daniel, Egufe Yafugborhi, Ozioruva Aliu, Emma Unah, Dan Abia, Ochuko Akuopha, Ike Uchechukwu, Calabar & John Alechenu
Daily reports across Nigeria have continued to feature this frightening, albeit alarming, reality: there is a surge in fatal auto crashes nationwide due to the deteriorating road network.
Indeed, more than 80 per cent of these accidents, according to findings by Vanguard, have been linked to the appalling condition of major roads and ineffective highway management authorities. These arteries, once considered lifelines of regional trade and mobility, have now degenerated into craters of chaos.
From East to West, North to South, the surfaces of most of the roads are scarred with deep, gaping potholes. Long stretches are virtually impassable in many instances. Erosion has eaten away entire lanes, and the absence of street lighting and signage leaves motorists vulnerable, especially at night.
Traveling these roads is not just inconvenient; it is life-threatening. The consequences of these infrastructural failures have been devastating. Motorists routinely lose control while navigating the perilous motorways, often leading to catastrophic outcomes.
Federal roads are owned and maintained by the federal government; they cut across all the states in the country, with many of them connecting two or more states in the country.
Currently, Nigeria has the largest road network in West Africa, with more than 108,000 kilometres of surfaced roads recorded in the 1900s.
The figures have significantly increased, with federal roads taking a good portion of that figure. However, the lack of maintenance has seen a continuous decay in the road infrastructure in the country.
Federal roads are supposed to connect roads, which makes them among the busiest roads in the country. It is expected that they be well maintained to ease the movement of every kind of vehicle.
Unfortunately, most travelers often find themselves stuck for hours on these roads which are in most cases difficult to navigate due to several failed sections, as evidenced by potholes, thus rendering them inaccessible, especially during the rainy season.
Lagos and other South-West states: Conflicting tales of the good, the bad
Over the years, motorists and residents in Lagos have faced a hectic time navigating the state due to several failed sections of federal and link roads.
The poor state of some roads and the trauma commuters experience daily navigating through them can only be better imagined. Unfortunately, the effect of recent heavy rainfall has further exposed shoddy works done on most of the dilapidated roads in recent time.
Some of these federal roads include Lagos-Ota Road; Lagos-Sagamu-Ibadan dual carriageway, Sections I & II; Apapa /Tin Can Port Road, Lagos State, Nigeria; NNPC Depot (Atlas Cove) to Mile 2 Access Road, Lagos State, Nigeria; Ikorodu-Sagamu, Ojota-Ikorodu Road; and Lagos-Badagry Road, among others.
Despite recent public outcry, many federal roads in Lagos are still begging for rehabilitation. It was gathered that contracts for either reconstruction or rehabilitation of some of the roads were awarded only to be abandoned by the contractors after moving to the site.
Many sections of Agege Motor Road in Lagos still remain deplorable. Some neglected parts of the road in dire need of repairs are the Mushin-Olosha, Bolade-Oshodi and Dorman Long sections. Agege Motor Road is a Federal Government road connecting Oshodi, Mushin, Olosha, Ojuelegba, Ikeja Along and other parts of Lagos.
Residents, motorists lament ordeals
Residents and motorists have, therefore, called for urgent rehabilitation and reconstruction, where necessary, to save their lives and properties.
Some of the motorists expressed worry as many have died in accidents on bad roads, while many others have been forced to abandon their homes due to the collapse of the infrastructure.
In spite of the palliative work done on the Mushin-Olosha section of Agege Motor Road, when Vanguard visited, some failed sections were clearly exposed, particularly the road opposite Conoil filling station where granite materials were used to fill the potholes, making driving difficult.
A resident around Olosha, Mr. Adeoye Bilesanmi, said hoodlums now take advantage of the situation to attack motorists, especially at night, dispossessing them of their valuables.
He also lamented the air pollution from dust raised by moving vehicles, warning that this posed serious danger to the general public.
Another motorist, Damola Oloyode, a middle-aged man, lamented: “The poor condition of the Old Agege Motor Road by Mangoro, inward Guinness, kept damaging my Korope and has cost me huge amount of money in repair expenses.
“The road is not good, as you can see. I have spent over N150,000 on repairs lately. The road has been in poor state for over five years, unattended. It kept on degrading gradually until it got to this very bad stage.”
Meanwhile, at the time of filing this report, messages sent to the Federal Controller of Works and FERMA had not been responded to, days after they were sent.
Residents, commuters decry deteriorating state of federal roads in Ondo
In Ondo State, the situation is not different as sesidents and commuters plying federal roads across the state have expressed dismay over the deplorable conditions of the roads.
The journey from Akure to Ado-Ekiti, the Ekiti State capital, which used to be between 25 and 35 minutes, has elongated travel time to over one hour 30 minutes due to gullies that now dot the road from the stretch of Ado motor park in Akure.
Motorists now take the longer route through Igbara-Oke before accessing Ekiti State through Igbara-Odo and Ilawe-Ekiti. Despite protests by residents and commuters over the state of the highway, work on the road has remained slow.
A motorist, Kunle Ajiroba, who said on account of this, they spend too much on vehicle repairs, lamented: “The road is vital for business between Ondo and Ekiti states. The government should complete it on time. We are really suffering due to the delay in completion of the road.’’
Some commercial drivers interviewed lamented that business had been dull as passengers now avoid the road for security reasons. One of the drivers, Ojo Omoniyi, said many passengers and motorists have been robbed on the road.
They called on the federal government to urgently repair the Ipele- Ido Ani-Isua Akoko-Abuja highway, saying the road had been abandoned for years.
Banji Olarinde, a local, said that the highway traverses three council areas in the state, including Owo, Ose and Akoko South-East.
Olarinde said the road which used to be a short route to Kogi State and Abuja, the Federal Capital Territory, from the Southern part of the country, has remained impassable. According to him, motorists traveling from Lagos to Kogi State, now take longer routes.
He said the deplorable state of the road has added to the economic hardship of the people in the communities and appealed to the federal government to pay attention to the road in a bid to prevent incessant abductions on the bad road.
Speaking on the state of federal highways in the state, the state governor, Lucky Aiyedatiwa, has, however, assured that his administration was taking steps to assume responsibility for some federal roads in order to ease the burden on the people.
Aiyedatiwa said: “Beyond the Ikare-Akoko, Idanre-Akure, and Okitipupa-Igbokoda road projects that are already in motion, we will not hesitate to intervene in other critical road corridors to enhance connectivity.”
Same situation applies to such federal highways as the Ife-Ilesa axis; Ikirun-Otan Ayegbaju-Ila-Oke Ila road in Osun State where many people now prefer to travel on motorcycles to Oke-Ila, Ora-Igbomina to Ekiti State due to bad roads.
It was gathered that rehabilitation of the road commenced during the last administration, but had since been abandoned and had become worse by the day.
When contacted, the Director of Highways in Osun State said the federal government would mobilise contractors back to site. But in the meantime, Governor Ademola Adeleke has approved rehabilitation of the road to Oke-Ila and Ora-Igbomina.
Also the Senator representing Osun-East senatorial district, Francis Fadahunsi, said he, along with his colleagues, have secured the understanding of the President on the need to urgently attend to the state of the Ilesa-Ife-Akure express road to alleviate the suffering of travellers.
How neglect is turning Oyo’s highways into death traps
In Oyo State, the Ibadan–Ogbomoso highway; Ibadan–Ife road (especially the Oyo State axis), and the Ibadan–Ijebu-Ode and Ibadan–Abeokuta roads have all but collapsed, contributing to federal road crashes in the state.
In one such tragedy recently, three siblings were killed by a speeding truck which hit the Celica car they were travelling in along the Ibadan-Ife road. The shock and grief that followed were compounded by a sense of helplessness among local residents who say accidents at the same spot had become “routine.”
Tales of woes on federal roads in Ekiti
In Ekiti State, crater-like potholes, broken shoulders and collapsed drainages now define several federal roads. From the busy Ado-Akure axis to the Ado-Ijan-Iluomoba, the hilly Efon Alaaye route and Ado-Aramoko-Itawure road, weeks of commuter complaints have hardened into daily survival tactics with slower speeds, higher transport fares and frequent vehicle breakdowns.
Also, Ifaki-Oye-Ikole-Omuo-Abuja road is another sad story as the road has completely collapsed and in absolute state of disrepair.
Banjo Olajide, a commercial driver, stated that the worst sections force dangerous swerves at night, saying “you dodge one hole and face oncoming traffic”.
Andrew Victor, who plies the Ado Akure route also said “when it rains, the holes turn into ponds; you can’t tell the depth”.
Transport unions equally estimated a steady rise in breakdowns such as burst tyres, bent rims, damaged suspensions, driving up fares for daily commuters and inter-state passengers.
Spine-chilling experience of road users in South-South
Similarly, many federal roads in the South-South have become death traps, with the only exception being Bayelsa State where motorways are in fairly good condition.
Motorists have fled the Itu-Calabar federal highway, which connects Akwa Ibom State, for the waterways because of the frequent and fatal accidents on the road due to its very bad nature.
In Cross River State, contractors executing federal roads complain of lack of funds, and in Rivers State, the East-West Road, which is the artery linking the six states of the oil-rich region, remains dislocated at different sections.
Motorists and commuters undergo excruciating experiences, pass the nights, and face attacks on the highways, on some occasions, before they get to their destinations.
Appalling situation in Edo, regardless of interventions
Federal roads in Edo State are in deplorable condition, despite numerous assurances and announcements of interventions by the federal and state governments.
The Benin–Auchi–Lokoja road is impassable except for the portions Edo State government has partially rehabilitated between Benin and Iruekpen and from Agbede to Auchi.
The intervention by BUA Cement Company from Iruekpen area to the Edo North district is ongoing, but not as fast as the people desire. The 30-kilometre distance is on a tax credit arrangement.
The state government commenced work on the Auchi-Igarra-Ibillo federal road a few weeks ago, following series of protests by the people.
Rehabilitation works have not commenced as of the time of filing this report but the contractor has mounted equipment on the spot where Governor Monday Okpebholo flagged off the rehabilitation.
Kidnappings occur mostly in the bad spots on the federal roads in Edo North senatorial district.
Apart from the Ekpoma axis in the Edo Central senatorial district, the Benin–Auchi–Lokoja federal road has broken down.
From Ewu to Uromi and Uromi to Agbor in Delta State, the motorways are appalling.
In Edo South, the by-pass, popularly known as the Benin Outer Ring Road, which the Obasanjo administration awarded, has not been completed and is in an appalling state.
The road provides access to several communities, including Ikueniro, Ahor, Uteh, Iguosagie, parts of Oluku, Idogbo, and Utese. Some remedial work was ongoing when Vanguard visited the bypass, but motorists complained that the level of dilapidation is not commensurate with the scope of rehabilitation work.
The Federal Government launched reconstruction of the road from the Ring Road in Benin City to the Onitsha Bridge Head in Delta State early this year. Therefore, reconstruction work is ongoing along the Benin–Agbor Road.
It is a concession to a private company that will reconstruct the road, toll it, and maintain it for 25 years under a public-private agreement. The 125-kilometre road project is expected to cost over N200 billion.
One of the contractors is already working from the bypass towards the Abudu–Agbor axis of the road, and people in the area are yearning for speedy completion of the project.
The collapsed Benin-Warri Road
The most frequently targeted federal road segment in the state is the Benin–Warri Road. Many locals are upset about the state of disrepair.
The NNPC initially began the reconstruction, but it was sluggish, prompting the federal government to take over through Works Minister, David Umahi.
Those who drive in Edo State’s capital lament the cost and duration of the trip, but people who travel outside the state have a worse experience. The state government undertook to shoulder 20 kilometres of the reconstruction project.
Death traps called roads in Delta
In Delta State, federal roads are in such terrible shape that drivers and commuters who travel on them have nightmares. Road users have told stories of suffering as they travel for hours on end to reach their destinations, from the collapsed sections of the Warri/Sapele/Benin Road through the Spare Parts Market U-Turn in Effurun to Ohore Junction before Omenta Bridge in the Uvwie and Okpe Local Government Areas to the Asaba–Benin–Onitsha Expressway and the Amukpe-Abraka-Agbor Road.
In the meantime, drivers are now forced to use alternate routes due to the collapse of the Abavo axis of the Amukpe-Abraka-Agbor Road.
Pastor Justine Onyeibe, President-General of Abavo Clan Union in Abavo community, recently called on the federal government to complete the dualisation to eradicate the problem of kidnapping in the community.
He pointed out that poor road infrastructure had hampered Abavo, which for many years had been a major economic centre in the center of Delta State.
According to him, contractors were mobilised between 2015 and 2016 to start work on the project, which was awarded in 2014. Onyeibe lamented hat 10 years later, the road had been a barrier, rather than a bridge to economic transformation.
State of our roads unacceptable —Asaba, Idjerhe monarchs
Following the bad state of federal roads in Delta State, the Asagba of Asaba, HRM Prof. Epiphany Azinge, SAN, and the Ovie of Idjerhe Kingdom, King Obukowho Monday Whiskey, expressed concern over the deplorable state of the Asaba–Benin–Onitsha and Benin-Sapele-Warri federal expressways recently.
HRM Azinge, who hosted a delegation from the Federal Road Maintenance Agency, or FERMA, in his palace, said the Asaba-Agbor-Benin expressway was one of the most crucial roads in Nigeria, connecting the South-West, South-South, and South-East zones.
Responding, Onimago Olushola, an engineer who led the delegation, disclosed that plans were already afoot to address the problem.
He disclosed that FERMA had met with the Federal Ministry of Works to discuss rehabilitation measures, saying positive action would be taken soon.
King Whiskey, who also bemoaned the deplorable state of federal roads in the South-South, described them as “death traps,” calling on the federal government to “urgently address the deplorable condition of federal roads in Delta State.
“Most of these roads have been endangering lives, stalling economic progress, and fuelling insecurity. We no longer have roads in the South-South. What we have now are not motorable roads; they are death traps,” he said.
Delta govt’s intervention
Meanwhile, Delta State government has awarded contract for the reconstruction of part of the collapsed section of the Warri/Sapele/Benin Road to the China Civil Engineering Construction Corporation, CCECC.
The project spans the stretch from the Spare Parts Market U-Turn in Effurun to just after Ohore Junction, before the Omenta Bridge.
Festus Ahon, Chief Press Secretary to Governor Sheriff Oborevwori, asserted: “As a government, we have awarded the contract for that stretch of the road to CCECC.”
He said the project would be completed within 12 months, adding that the state government also intervened in some other federal roads, including the Ughelli/Asaba Road.
Lots of talk, little action in Rivers
On the East-West Road, commuters have suffered for decades, particularly at the Eleme Roundabout and the Trailer Park, which are close to Onne Town in Rivers State.
Though the federal government announced it would complete phase three of the East-West Road, work on the 15-kilometre dual concrete carriageway from Eleme to Onne in Rivers State is, however, very slow.
Also, the entire stretch of the road from the Eleme area down to the Aleto Bridge, extending to the trailer park, needs urgent attention, as the deplorable state of the road not only consumes man-hours but has also taken many lives.
Consequently, rights activist, Franklin Eyo, called on the federal government to stop playing politics with the road project and ensure that the users of the all-important road enjoyed plying it.
Funding stalls federal roads in Cross River
Cross River State has five federal roads, including the Calabar-Itu-Ikot-Ekpene Highway; the Calabar-Bakassi Road; the Ikom-Obudu Road, the Abakaliki-Ikom-Cameroon Trans African Highway; and the Ogoja-Ikom-Ugep-Calabar Highway.
Except for the Abakaliki-Ikom-Cameroon highway, built by African Development Bank in collaboration with the federal government and other development partners during the administration of President Goodluck Jonathan, majority of the roads are in appalling condition.
The Calabar-Itu-Ikot Ekpene, Ikom-Obudu, and Ogoja-Ikom-Calabar highways have been the most severely dilapidated. They are death traps, causing frequent accidents that have claimed lives, damaged property, and left many maimed.
Since President Olusegun Obasanjo’s time, the Calabar-Itu-Ikot-Ekpene road has been awarded multiple times, but no construction has taken place.
The initial stages of work began under Buhari’s leadership. The contract was split between SERMATECH and Julius Berger. The company left after building roughly five kilometers. Julius Berger was in charge of the Calabar axis and was supposed to finish work at Ikot Offiong, in front of the Niger Delta Power Plant.
“SERMATECH has been given the contract, but it appears the Calabar-Uyo Road project is holding the company back,” Kingsley, a Calabar Federal Ministry of Works official, told Vanguard.
Another federal road that has remained in poor condition is the Ikom-Obudu Road. The road is 100 kilometers long, with deep craters and broken bridges. It has collapsed completely.
The rural community of Akpabong, where former Senate Leader, Victor Ndoma-Egba resides, was marked with a sign indicating that FERMA was responsible for its upkeep.
The road is a nightmare along its whole length, and there are shocking images of cars falling off, bridges collapsing, and some locals farming on parts of the road.
The Niger Delta Development Commission is working to restore the Calabar-Bakassi Road.
Only yesterday, members of the National Assembly Joint Committee on Works called for a declaration of national emergency over the deplorable state of federal roads in the state.
They also vowed to summon contractors handling federal projects, as well as officials of the Federal Ministry of Works and the Federal Roads Maintenance Agency, FERMA.
Chairman of the House of Representatives Committee on Works, Akinola Alabi, who led other committee members on an inspection tour of the Calabar–Itu highway, one of the major routes connecting Cross River State to other parts of the region and the country, said: “As Chairman of the House Committee on Works, I have seen different projects and roads across the country, but this is the worst I have ever seen. I have never seen anything as terrible as this,” Alabi lamented.
He noted that the decision to switch from asphalt to concrete construction had slowed down progress on the project and questioned the competence of some of the contractors handling various sections of the road.
Also speaking, the Vice Chairman of the Senate Committee on Works, Senator Rufai Hanga, supported the call for a national emergency and immediate intervention.
“I am one hundred per cent in support of the call for a national emergency and a public hearing. I have seen it all, and I am not satisfied. Something must be done urgently,” Hanga stated.
In his remarks, Senator Asuquo Ekpenyong, representing the Cross Rivers Southern senatorial district, recalled that he had earlier moved a motion on the Senate floor drawing attention to the deteriorating state of the Calabar–Itu road.
“I raised this motion almost a year ago because this road has remained in a state of disrepair for several years. We summoned the ministry and the contractors and mounted pressure for its reconstruction. But one year after, there has been no significant progress.” he said.
Ekpenyong lamented the social and economic losses caused by the poor condition of the road, including reduced commercial activity and agricultural setbacks.
A Federal Ministry of Works official said: “All of those roads you mentioned are under one project scheme or another. As a matter of fact, all of them will soon be okay.”
Motorists abandon federal roads for waterways in Akwa-Ibom
The Itu-Calabar Road stands out as the most dilapidated federal road connecting Akwa Ibom State. From trucks falling on passenger vehicles to crashes into craters and ditches, travelling on this road, which has suffered years of non-completion, is such a nightmare for travelers. Many have abandoned the death trap for the Oron water route to Calabar, the capital of Cross River State.
A commercial vehicle said of the road: “As a commercial driver, I cannot use my vehicle on that road any more. The last time I plied it, it cost me over N100,000.00 in repairs. Passengers suffer too.’’
It was learned that even with three contractors engaged on the reconstruction of the road, the project continues to move at snail’s pace.
We’re doing our best, says Work Ministry source
Efforts to get the reaction of the Minister of Works, David Umahi, have been unsuccessful as he is said to be travelling around the country with his team, inspecting road projects.
However, a source in the ministry who pleaded anonymity for fear of retribution, told Vanguard that the enormity of the challenge of maintaining the over 35,000 kilometres of federal roads in the country was overwhelming.
The source said: “The current administration is doing a lot but we are stretched thin by so many factors, such as poor funding and the not too tidy contractual arrangements signed by previous administrations.
“Recall, our current Minister, Engr. David Umahi, recently got approval from the President to terminate (the contract of) sections of the Abuja-Kaduna-Kano road from the initial contractor, Julius Berger. We had disagreements over the issue of cost and completion timeline.
“In the past, some contractors, who neither had the equipment nor man power to execute, were awarded multiple jobs, leaving them to struggle after collecting mobilization funds.
“Some became notorious for demanding for VOP (variation of project costs) even when there is little, if anything, to show for the work they claimed to have done.
“Somehow, they come up with certificates asking to be paid. Certificates worth billions of naira are on the shelf. We simply cannot pay for now for two reasons: One, some have not or cannot be verified. Secondly, there are simply no funds to pay. We have to untangle some of these issues to forge ahead.”
The source further explained that for roads such as the Makurdi-Otukpo-Enugu Road; Benin-Auchi-Lokoja; Benin-Asaba; Abuja-Lokoja; and Owerri-Onitsha, among others initially awarded at various times by President Jonathan and the Buhari-led administrations, had their contracts reviewed and some sections re-awarded because they weren’t properly funded.
“There are also roads that were initially awarded under the tax credit system but had to be taken over and rewarded when companies like the NNPCL backed out. The process of taking over, revoking and re-awarding them takes time,” he added.
He implored Nigerians to exercise more patience with the government which was as worried about the state of the roads as most well meaning citizens.
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