The Federal Government has warned motorists against overloading to guard against willful damage of Nigerian roads.
This is even as it disclosed that the first set of weighbridges will be rolled out across the country to protect the roads by guarding against excess cargo weights.
The Minister of Works and Housing, Babatunde Fashola, made the disclosure when he received the Board members of the Federal Road Maintenance Agency (FERMA) led by its Chairman, Mr Babatunde Lemo in Abuja
While acknowledging FERMA’s mandate to maintain roads, Fashola urged them to pay more attention to the protection of road while carrying out the maintenance.
He said once the weighbridges are in place, excess loads would be offloaded and owners surcharged.
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He stressed the effect of bad weather on every country’s infrastructure architecture, assuring that the government was aware of these challenges and responding to them while urging FERMA to collaborate more with the Federal Controller of Works in the state to improve the quality of Nigerian roads.
Also, he promised to empower the Controllers to take ownership and full responsibility of the Ministry’s strategy of road protection to secure lives and properties, urging FERMA to leverage on the wealth of experience of these controllers in road repairs and maintenance.
In the words, “Maintenance of highways is very crucial to government, as this would facilitate economic growth and job creation. FERMA is an important component of the government strategy for maintaining the road network.”
Earlier, the FERMA Board Chairman, Mr Babatunde Lemo assured the Minister of the Board’s continuing partnership and collaboration with the Ministry to attain its objective.
He requested the Ministry to factor in the Agency’s role in all road investments, stressing the need for the Ministry’s continuous support in ensuring adequate appropriations and budget releases.
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