Nigerian Roads Are Not Bad, Fashola Boasts

In what seemed like speaking from both sides of the mouth, the Minister also turned round to argue that some of the roads had outlived their design life
It appears Nigeria’s Honourable Minister of Power, Works and Housing, Babatunde Fashola, has not left the capital city of Abuja in a while.

Or perhaps, he has not embarked on a road trip in recent months. The idea of the Works Minister taking flights should perhaps be suspended.

On Tuesday, the Minister shocked many Nigerians by boasting that Nigerian roads are not bad and if any were bad, they were not as bad as many claimed.

But then in what seemed like speaking from both sides of the mouth, the Minister also turned round to argue that some of the roads had outlived their design life, some still within their design life, while others are being built.

Fashola was delivering keynote address at the United Nations-sponsored capacity building programme for the Federal Road Safety Corps.

He went on to say that roads that had outlived their design life should have been replaced and rebuilt.

He named the Calabar-Itu-Odukpani road as falling within this category.

“They were built in the 1970s, and not only have they outlived their design life, they have had to deal with tonnage and capacities well beyond what their design intended. Can such a road be truly expected to stay intact and deliver a pleasant motoring experience?” Fashola said.

“Thankfully, these types of roads are now receiving attention under President Buhari, as the Calabar-Itu-Odukpani, Gombe-Biu, Ilorin-Jebba and other roads that fall within this category are being awarded for reconstruction, along with the third class of roads, which are just being built,” he added.