Problem of bad roads

ACROSS  the country, the problem of bad roads remains a big challenge. Valuable time is lost on a daily basis as Nigerians try their best to navigate the bad roads, particularly within residential areas.

In my view, this problem cannot be overcome unless the 774 local government councils across the become functional.

This would mean that elections are regularly conducted at the local government level, and chairmen and councillors allowed to pilot their affairs.

The current practice of running the local governments through the so-called caretaker chairmen cannot help Nigeria’s quest for development.

The caretaker chairmen and committees are not the products of the democratic process envisaged by the constitution, which is that the councils be run by people who have been given a mandate through the ballot box.

It seems fairly clear that the Nigerian economy cannot advance beyond its present state unless and until local government administration is democratically run.

The local councils are closer to the people than the federal and state governments. Ideally, the job of rehabilitating the neighbourhood roads that Nigerians ply most should be their responsibility.

In this connection, the National Assembly should prevail on the 36 state governors to conduct local government elections at the appropriate times. This is the only way the problem of bad roads can be meaningfully addressed.

• Yakubu Ibrahim

 Abuja.