Minister of Works Raji Fashola predicted rightly that his claim that Nigerian roads ‘are not so bad’, will hit the headlines. I am at a loss as to why he made the claim in the first instance and further puzzled whether our hardworking minister travels on the roads that he is supposed to take care of.
I will suggest that Fashola should make his phone number and email available to Nigerians: he will be shocked how he will be inundated by complaints about the parlous state of our many critical roads in all the geographical zones.
Travelling from Lagos to Abuja for instance is hell. Fashola should ask NTA cameramen to follow the route, to and fro and he will be palpably shocked.
Minna to Abuja is so close. Let Fashola and his officials go on a visit to IBB and Abdulsalami at the Hill Top. Ore-Benin has gone bad again. People are complaining everyday and everywhere about the poor state of the roads.
I am from Ijebu-Ode, just 100kms from Lagos. In almost one year, I have not been to my town, because going from Lekki is now unthinkable because of the bad roads, even from Lekki to Epe. Epe to Ijebu-Ode is horrible. Epe to Ketu is equally horrible and Ketu to Omu-Ijebu-Ode is bad. Worst of all, If I decided to go through Ketu-Itoikin-Ijebu-Ode, I will need to buy a new car. All these roads are, unfortunately, Federal Roads.
Buhari should order his ministers to stop flying within Nigeria for one year. He himself should routinely endeavour to use the roads, to really understand the dilapidation of the roads and why the N260b capital budget for 2020 is simply laughable.
By Bayo Onanuga:
