FG ready to repair damaged roads nationwide (Another avenue to embezzle funds)

Posted by admin Headlines Monday, May 23rd, 2011

The Minister of Works, Mohammed Sanusi Daggash, has said in Zaria, at the weekend, that the President Goodluck Jonathan-led Federal Government is set to repair damaged roads in the country and cautioned road users to ply the Zaria-Kano dual carriageway and other roads in Nigeria with care.

He spoke while reopening the Kwangila flyover bridge in Zaria, a bridge that was damaged by fire over two years ago, saying that a 2009 fire accident warranted that part of the bridge, that was the Kano-bound side, was burnt down beyond use.

Representative of the governor of Kaduna State and the Commissioner for Works in the state, Mr. William Curix and the Federal Road Maintenance Agency (FERMA) officer in Kaduna, Mr Sani Abdulkadir, expressed delight with the reopening of the bridge and urged motorists and other road users to ply all roads with caution.

According to the minister, it was not just ceremonies to reopen a damage bridge but the implications of what they were doing were far reaching nationwide.

“We decided that we should have an opportunity to talk to the key stakeholders in the transport sector, the owners of the trucks, the workers, the drivers as well as the individuals and private people that ply our roads, and the general infrastructure of roads network in the country,” he said.

“A single bridge that is not more than 20 meters, took us two years to bring back to state of repairs. Now the point has been made. Those of us who use the bridge have to use the bridge or our roads based on established regulations and responsibility. When we decide to use the public infrastructure as if we are using our private infrastructure, maybe our houses, our private cars, our offices, then we find out we become careless and we don’t respect the other users.

“Accidents occurred, they just don’t happen. It’s either from irresponsibility, lack of due diligence, lack of knowledge, information and ignorance and so on,” he said.

Daggash explained further that it was the very big challenge for the Federal Government and state governments while the whole idea for them was to talk candidly about the challenges the government faced in ensuring that it delivered safe and secured road for the users.

“It is my pleasure to be here today to be part of the reopening of this Kano-bound side of the bridge after complete rehabilitation to the standards that would meet both health, safety and the environment and we pray to the Almighty Allah to protect those who use this bridge so that we can enjoy the benefits of what one bridge can do.”

-Tribunewp_posts