Though the Federal Roads Maintenance Agency (FERMA) has claimed that it has so far rehabilitated about 137 kilometres of federal roads in Bauchi state within the last eight months, most of the federal roads in the state have remained dilapidated, hard to drive in and death traps to all roads users.
The disclosure of the rehabilitation of the roads was made by the Federal Roads Maintenance Engineer, Mr Nanfan Daniel Joroh during a critical stakeholders workshop organized by FERMA in partnership with Lofty Inc Allied Partners Limited in the state.
Though he did not mention the affected federal roads, he said that the rehabilitated roads were impassable before the intervention of FERMA adding that the Agency did not only make them motorable but provided culverts around some of them so that the renovated roads could last long.
The FERMA boss however advised stakeholders and road users in the state to report any persons that destroy roads to the agency noting that if the government constructs and rehabilitates the roads, users have the duty of protecting them against destruction.
Also speaking, the Executive Director of Lofty Inc Allied Partners who were the facilitator of the workshop, Engineer Michael Oluwagbemi explained that the workshop was designed to engage critical stakeholders on roads and train them on the productive maintenance of the over 200, 000 kilometres federal and state roads in the country.
“The idea is to have series of workshops where those critical stakeholders including the Police, the Federal Roads Safety Corps, members of the NURTW, NATO, members of the high way patrols, federal and state Ministries of Finance, Ministries of Transportation will come together and discuss how we can maintain the roads”, he said.
According to him, all the citizens should be custodians of the Nigerian roads by avoiding actions such as blocking drainages that will eventually cause floods on the roads and reporting those who destroy the roads to Police in addition to intimating FERMA on roads that have potholes to prevent them from breaking.
But, to road users in the state, the Bauchi – Gombe road, particularly the 60 kilometres portion between Bauchi and Alkaleri has remained a difficult road to pass, work has begun by FERMA but has been abandoned making users passing through the road always lament, the portion close to the Dindima bridge has remained unattended to for a long time.
Any day it rains, it will take several hours for motorists to be able to pass through as the road is always flooded particularly the portion in Bara and Alkaleri, same for a portion along Bauchi – Jos road particularly Rijiyan Malam and Womi villages, where many lives have been lost.
In Nabordo village, a portion of the road has caved in making it difficult for motorists to easily pass through same as the Bauchi – Kano road where a bridge recently collapsed claiming lives and properties.
It is agony for the motorists using these roads, particularly during the rainy season when the roads are flooded posing dangers to unsuspecting users.
It will be recalled that in 2020 following a ghastly motor accident on the Bauchi – Alkaleri portion of the road, Bauchi State Governor, Sen Bala Mohammed Abdulkadir promised to fix the portion in order to reduce carnage on the road, the government is yet to fulfil the promise.
YOU SHOULD NOT MISS THESE HEADLINES FROM NIGERIAN TRIBUNE
Buhari Urges MTN For Quality Service, Downward Price Review In Cost Of Data, Other Services
President Muhammadu Buhari Friday at State House Abuja urged the MTN Group to make the available top-of-the-range service to its Nigerian subscribers… We have rehabilitated 137 kilometres of roads within 8 months in Bauchi, FERMA claims We have rehabilitated 137 kilometres of roads within 8 months in Bauchi, FERMA claims We have rehabilitated 137 kilometres of roads within 8 months in Bauchi, FERMA claims We have rehabilitated 137 kilometres of roads within 8 months in Bauchi, FERMA claims.
and then