Stakeholders laud government’s efforts on rehabilitation/construction of roads nationwide

Stakeholders in the nation’s road sector has lauded the improvements on the roads across the country.

At a One-Day Public Enlightenment on the Developments in the Road Sector, the stakeholders that included the National Association of Road Transport Owners (NARTO), the National Union of Road Transport Workers (NURTW), and Petroleum Tanker Drivers Association among others, noted that the government has done a lot to restore confidence of Nigerians on the nation’s road sector.

In his goodwill message at the Nigerian Air Force Conference Centre venue of the event, President of the National Union of Road Transport Workers (NURTW), Alhaji Najimdeen Yasin, who heaped praises on the Minister of Power, Works and Housing, Babatunde Fashola, for his  efforts in executing the 2017 budgetary proposals as regards to the development of road network across the country, said ‘government has one quite well’.

Yasin, who was represented by Alhaji Nasiru, the NURTW President also expressed appreciation to the administration of President Muhammadu Buhari for the prudent management of the nation’s scarce resources noting that since the beginning of the present administration, the road sector in the country never had it as good as is being currently experienced despite the shortfall in the nation’s revenue generation.

The NURTW boss, however, pointed out that as the efforts and actions of the government to improve the roads were being applauded, it was also necessary to direct its attention to a lot more of the roads that still needed urgent attention, urging the Minister to put in place a mechanism to institutionalize the culture of construction, rehabilitation and maintenance of Federal roads as well as putting necessary instruments that would guide against the abuse of the roads by the road users.

The Union leader mentioned such mechanism to include weighbridges, transit parks and provision of other road furniture adding that as a transport workers’ union occupying the leadership of the International Transport Federation (ITF) and the Global Vice President, the leadership of the National Union of Road Transport Workers had taken the sensitization and training of its members very seriously as it could not afford to operate short of international standard.

In similar vein, the President of the National Association of Road Transport Owners (NARTO), Alhaji Kassim Bataiya, expressed appreciation to the government for matching its words with action recalling that on the first of February 2018, the Minister, at a meeting with the various transport unions in his office, did promise that he would organise such an enlightenment Workshop.

NARTO Presient, who was epresented by the Executive Secretary of the Union, Mr. Aloga I. Okpobo, the NARTO President, commended the Minister for the on-going rehabilitations and reconstruction of roads across the country.

Noting that the government was currently raising  funds from various sources to meet the required funding of roads in the country, the union President declared, “This has demonstrated that in a very short time  Nigerian roads will meet the expectations of Nigerians”.

He said the association will support the federal government in all its efforts to put Nigerian roads on course.

“We are also here to say that we are totally in support of this workshop and to commend the Hon. Minister for putting the workshop together because in doing so he has matched his words with action”.

Also speaking at the forum, the National Chairman of the Petroleum Tankers Drivers Association, Mr. Salimon Akanni Oladiti, commended the Minister for “his courage” in organizing the Workshop pointing out that it is only when one is courageous and doing something right that such a person could invite the public to brief them of such action.

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“As major stakeholders in the Nigerian road sector, we have in recent times witnessed tremendous efforts on the part of the President of the Federal Republic of Nigeria and the Minister of Power, Works and Housing which has made us to believe that the dark and horrible days of bad roads will soon be over”.

Others who spoke at the event included the President Road Transport Employers Association of Nigeria,  High Chief Musa Shehu Isawere, represented by Comrade Henry Ejioffor, who also commended the Minister for the innovations he has introduced into the management of the nation’s road sector and the Minister of Labour and Employment, Senator Chris Ngige, who said in identifying with the convocation of the Workshop, he would be the ultimate beneficiary pointing out that the impressive turnout of the trade unions only signified the fact that they were in full support and in alignment with the Minister adding, “ It means less agitations and strikes”.

Earlier in his Keynote address, President Muhammadu Buhari, who was represented by the Secretary to the Government of the Federation, Mr. Boss Gida Mustapha, said the convocation of the Workshop was an indication of the important role that road transportation plays in the nation’s economic development adding that the critical place of road transportation in the country’s evolution and the national life had never been more alive than it is currently.

“Presently the haulage of industrial goods, agricultural produce and industrial raw material, petroleum products, power plant components and other economic materials required in the manufacturing sector, are carried out using the road network”, the President noted adding that it was this realization that underscored the promise of change by the present administration in May 2015 with infrastructure as a priority.

The Minister of Power, Works and Housing, Mr. Babatunde Fashola, said the Workshop was meant to reflect and agree on the need for change about how Nigerians have used their Road infrastructure adding that the country’s Economic growth, National productivity and job opportunities would be impacted by the conclusions and resolutions of the meeting.

Noting that there are now existing treaty obligations within the West African sub region and beyond that regulate the amount of load any goods vehicle can put on an axle and by extension on the road in order to do business within ECOWAS and beyond, Fashola said the only way to optimize the opportunities that lie in road networks like Trans-Saharan highway that connects Nigeria to Chad, Niger, Tunisia, Mali and Algeria; the Lagos- Abidjan Highway through Benin, Togo and Ghana, or the Enugu- Cameroon Highway through Abakaliki – Ogoja , Ikom and Mfum was to sensitize road transporters and imbibe the existing treaties.