Peter Obi
Picnews
The Onyendu Ndigbo of Ibadanland and Oyo State, Chief Alloysius Obi, has appealed to the Minister of Works, Senator Dave Umahi, to urgently intervene in the rehabilitation of major federal roads linking the South-East and South-West regions.
Obi, who is the Chief Executive Officer of A.O. Obi and Sons West Africa, made the appeal in a statement, lamenting the hardship faced by motorists and commuters due to the deteriorating condition of key highways across six states.
He specifically called for urgent attention to federal roads in Anambra, Delta, Edo, Ondo, Ogun and Oyo States, including the Ibadan-Ijebu-Ode, Ijebu-Ode-Ore-Okada-Benin and routes extending to Onitsha.
According to him, travelling along some of the affected routes has become a difficult experience for Nigerians, particularly those moving between the South-East and South-West.
Obi revealed that his recent journey from Onitsha to Ibadan took over 12 hours due to the poor state of the roads, stressing that immediate reconstruction and palliative measures by the Federal Roads Maintenance Agency (FERMA) would provide relief to road users.
He noted that the situation requires urgent action, especially as the condition of the roads continues to worsen during the rainy season.
The businessman also disclosed that he lost two haulage trailers within one month due to challenges associated with the poor road network.
He appealed to Senator Umahi, whom he described as a responsive leader, to take decisive steps towards addressing the situation and reducing the difficulties Nigerians encounter on the highways.
“Fixing the roads will bring great relief to millions of Nigerians who depend on these routes for transportation, business and economic activities,” he said.
While acknowledging that permanent reconstruction of the roads may require time and significant resources, Obi suggested the introduction of toll gates on properly rehabilitated highways as a means of generating revenue for government maintenance.
He added that Nigerians would be more willing to pay tolls on good roads than continue to endure the economic losses and hardships caused by deteriorated road infrastructure.
