The Senate Committee on Federal Road Maintenance Agency (FERMA) has expressed its readiness to work with the Nigerian Institution of Highway and Transportation Engineers (NIHTE) to provide smooth, durable and motorable roads for Nigerians.
The Chairman, Senate Committee on FERMA, Senator Babangida Hussaini, stated this when he received NIHTE delegation led by its national chairman, Engineer Saidu Hassan, in his office at the National Assembly Complex, Abuja on Thursday.
Senator Hussaini, who is representing Jigawa North West Senatorial District in the Upper Chamber of the National Assembly, said although the construction industry is undergoing massive challenges owing to slide in naira, Nigeria’s currency, he said it is high time stakeholders in the construction industry work together for the benefits of the country.
He however called for maintenance of roads, maintenance of road equipment which he said if well handled will drive the economy adding that good roads will save manpower, enhance free flow of goods and services and reduces traffic congestion.
“So much is happening within the governance circle, the political circle and the economic circle requiring all hands to the on deck, requiring interrelationship and interpartnership to engender interdependence. This is an opportunity to rub minds and to establish framework for future relationship. The construction industry today is facing massive challenges occasion by rapid and oscillating position of our currency.”
Commenting on the issue of asphalt (flexible) and concrete (rigid) pavements which has been the subject of discussion recently, the lawmaker said one-cap-fit-all cannot work for Nigeria because of its different terrain and topography. He stated that there should be framework for road construction in Nigeria.
“My position is that more studies need to be done, more researches need to be done in order to really understand and to do a kind of deeper analysis of the cost and benefits of flexible versus rigid pavements. Like you rightly pointed out, I actually participated in the team that pioneered in the Obajana-Dangote rigid pavement and the Apapa-Oworonsoki-Ojota rigid pavement process which is still ongoing. I think we need to be mindful of the benefits that comes with flexible as well as rigid pavements.
“Each of them has its own peculiarities, its advantages and disadvantages. So we have to put our money where our capacity lies and ensuring that we get the value for money. I’m not an advocate of general mob mentality of saying this is better. I like to have facts. I like to have engineering reports, I like to have the experiences of other countries in the world. We do travel out of the country and I know the United States pioneered the rigid pavement technology. But I also see that most of the roads in the US are flexible pavement so I need to be convinced that that is the best way to go and that is my position,” he told Tribune Online.
On road projects going on across the country and the ultimatum given by Minister of Works, Dave Umahi, to revoke the contract of any contractors that refuse to resume work, the Senator said, “I believe the minister has a reason for the statement he made and I think he is in a better position to defend that. For me, I’m in the other side of the government. Like I always say, I need to be presented with facts. If I have privileged information that actually necessitated taken that decision, I can then be able to comment on that. But having said that I think service providers are part of the system and I think all of us need to be circumspect in the way we react to issues.”
NIHTE national chairman, Engineer Saidu Hassan, in his remarks, said the Institute is ready to collaborate with the Senate Committee through technical support to see that Nigeria has one of the best roads in the world and making sure that things are done professionally.
“We want to collaborate with them (FERMA Committee) to see that we have one of the best roads in the world and see that things are done professionally. We want to give them our technical support. We want to see that our members also adhere to cuts, standards and specifications in whatever they do. The visit has enabled us to see that the senator also understand and talked to us about maintenance because what we lack in this country is the maintenance culture.
“What I have to say is that both rigid (concrete) and flexible (asphalt) pavements are all tools we require for our works. Like we say, we need sound engineering decision, investigation and test to determine whether you use rigid or flexible pavements. There are specifications, there are scopes, there are cuts and standards and as professionals that guides our practice. Flexible pavement is very good and beneficial to the road sector and the rigid pavement is also good for some sections of our roads based on investigations we have,” the NIHTE national chairman said.
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