Reps blast Fashola over comment on Nigerian roads

The House of Representatives has called on the minister of Works and Housing, Mr Babatunde Fashola to acquaint himself with realities on roads across the country instead of downplaying the deplorable situation of the roads.
Fashola had on Wednesday while dismissing reports on the bad state of the highways after the Federal Executive Council (FEC) meeting said, “The roads are not as bad as they are often portrayed. I know that this is going to be your headline, but the roads are not that bad.”

However, the chairman House Committee on Federal Road Maintenance Agency (FERMA), Honourable Femi Bamisile said the Minister’s comment showed he had not been plying the major roads in the country.

Bamisile spoke in Erio -Ekiti on Friday while inspecting a collapsed bridge along Aramoko-Erio-Efon highway.
The lawmaker appealed to the Federal Government to release a sum of N12 billion to the agency to put Nigeria’s roads back to good shape before the Yuletide.

The All Progressives Congress lawmaker, representing Ekiti South Federal constituency II, said, “I don’t know where the Minister(Fashola) got that information about our roads. Our roads are bad and in sorry states and nothing more to describe it.
“Just take a look at this collapsed portion, it can contain a whole house if dropped inside. I want to believe that whoever says people’s complaints about our roads are mere hype must either be downplaying the situation or maybe the person doesn’t ply our roads at all.

“I saw a documentary about Federal roads in Anambra state recently. In fact, I saw a road that had totally cut off. The Minister must accept the reality that our roads need serious attention.”
Bamisile praised governor Kayode Fayemi for releasing a sum of N19 million to contractors to carry our palliative assignment on the collapsed portion.