The Nation Newspaper

Tag: rehabilitation

  • Ogun to resume rehabilitation of rural roads

    The Ogun State government has assured rural dwellers that it will re-embark on the rehabilitation of rural roads in the state as soon as the rains subside.

    The Permanent Secretary. Ministry of Works and Infrastructure, Kayode Ademolake, made this known in a  statement signed by the agency’s Press Officer, Mr. Ayokunle Ewuoso.

    According to the statement, government has already rehabilitated over 1,235 kilometres of rural roads with culverts across the 20 local government areas of the state.

    “A lot has been done on rural roads, there is heavy down pour, most rural roads are hard tones and if you grade rural roads during the rainy season it would amount to waste of public funds. Immediately the rain stops we would move in and start grading of all these roads,” the statement read in part.

    Ademolake assured that the Ministry would continue to carry out construction and rehabilitation of roads within the state, adding that 30 kilometres road in Ijebu-Ode-Epe garage passing through Idowa to Ilese had been rehabilitated.

    “We have moved to the junction at Sagamu-Benin Express road and Ogbere this is a distance of about 10 kilometres. In recent times too we have had cause to carry out palliative works in Abeokuta metropolis which included Adatan to Lafenwa road and others too numerous to mention in order to ensure that our roads are motor able this rainy season,” he explained.

    He said the state, through the ministry, is trying to repair the damaged portion of the bridge at Adigbe road in Obafemi- Owode Local Government Area, which links Obada across the river Ogun. The damage occurred as a result of river Ogun’s encroachment on the embankment of the bridge.

  • FERMA begins rehabilitation of federal roads in Southwest

    THE Federal Roads Maintenance Agency (FERMA) has commenced inspection, assessment and rehabilitation of all federal roads across the Southwest states.

    The Deputy General Manager, Road Maintenance Management Services (RMMS) Mrs Bola Ilemore spoke with reporters in Ibadan, on during a tour of federal roads.

    Ilemore revealed that the essence of the inspection exercise, which, according to her, commenced from Lagos State, is expected to provide a platform for maintenance of all federal roads in the region.

    Ilemore, who led a team of FERMA officials on the iexercise in Oyo State from old Oyo/Ojoo Road in Ibadan through Ibadan Expressway-Iseyin/Oyo old Road-Ado-Awaye  and Maya/Igboora Road, said the Federal Government is determined to improve on the current status of its  roads nation-wide.

    Those who were part of the tour were Mrs Ilamore; the zonal co-ordinator Southwest, Mrs Mary Adeniran, representative of FERMA in Oyo State, Francis Ishabiyi, Yemi Olaniyan and Mrs Adunola Bamgbopa.

    Ilemore stated that the aim was to ensure that the intervention works that had been done before now are sustained. She added that the exercise was also targeted at looking at the federal roads generally, identify critical failure areas and make arrangement and recommendation to government on how to commence the repairs of these failures immediately.

    Ilemore said: “We’re also inspecting our repair works and maintenance contracts generally and direct labour works to ensure that these works are done in line with our specifications and standards.

    “We actually commenced the exercise in Lagos State. In Lagos, we inspected Lagos-Badagry/Seme Border dual carriage way, Apapa/Oworonsoki dual carriage way, Murtala Mohammed International Airport Road, Ikorodu/Itoikin Road and Ikorodu/Sagamu Road.  “In all the roads inspected, our contractors are working while our direct labour work are also in progress and the quality of work done is satisfactory. What we saw was in line with our specification and standards and we have looked generally at our drainage network. We’re also ensuring the desilting of base to allow for timely discharge of run off from our roads whenever it rains.

    Then, we proceeded to Ogun State and inspected Agbara/Atan Road, Ota/Abeokuta Expressway and moved to Papalanto/Sagamu Road, then to  Sagamu/Ajebandele Expressway. There also, work is in progress with our contractors and we have identified critical washout which we’re going to effect and ensure that repairs are done immediately.

    “In Oyo State, we started with Oyo/Ibadan Old Road and Ibadan/Oyo Expressway. We inspected a critical washout on the road, the old alignment on Oyo road and have identified the problems and we have also come up with solutions. In no time, we will commence repair work of that failed section.

    For Ibadan/Oyo Expressway, we discovered movement of the wearing course on the surface of the road and we’re looking at milling and overlaying the peeled section of the road. Maybe, in the nearest future, we may consider entire overlay stretch of the road to further strengthen the road.”

    She addressed reporters in Maya where FERMA is currently providing alternative bridge which had been dilapitated over the years.

    Mrs Ilemore said FERMA’s main priority was to ensure that all road users across the country ply the road with ease,  adding that work will soon be completed on the bridge for the use of the people of the area.

  • Ambode orders rehabilitation of distressed mother of three sets of twins

    Ambode orders rehabilitation of distressed mother of three sets of twins

    Lagos State Governor, Mr. Akinwunmi Ambode, yesterday directed his deputy, Dr. Mrs. Oluranti Adebule, to effect the immediate rehabilitation and provision of welfare assistance to Mrs. Ruth Uche, the mother of three sets of twins whose husband absconded from their home in Agege, Lagos.

    This was contained in a statement signed by his Chief Press Secretary, Habib Aruna.

    Governor Ambode’s directive followed newspaper publications which narrated the ordeal of the woman who spoke with reporters during her distress visit to the Government Secretariat, Alausa on Thursday.

    The governor, who was visibly touched after reading the plight of the woman and her children, noted that as a responsible government, the wellbeing of the people of the state, irrespective of their ethnic, religious or political affiliations, is paramount to his administration and assured the people of Lagos State that his government would continue to provide good leadership “that will guarantee adequate protection of lives and properties of all Lagosians.”

    Her husband, Mr. Benjamin Uche, was alleged to have absconded from home as a result of the expected birth of another set of twins from his wife, making the third in a row.

    While acknowledging the present economic situation in the country, the governor noted that it is not proper for anyone to abandon his family, especially young children that they willingly brought to life, admonishing that it is only when such children are properly taken care of that they can achieve their full potential in life and become responsible citizens in the future.

  • Workers want railway rehabilitation sustained

    Workers want railway rehabilitation sustained

    Workers of Nigeria Railway Corporation have advised that the ongoing rehabilitation and modernisation of the railway transport sector be continued.

    In a congratulatory message to the President-elect, Maj. Gen. Muhammadu Buhari (retd.), workers under the aegis of the Nigeria Union of Railway (NUR) Workers, expressed optimism that the sector would experience rapid development under the new administration.

    The union said: “There is need for the new administration to address the fate of the rail transport industry with a view to furthering the ongoing asset rehabilitation and modernisation of the industry.”

    The President-General, NUR, Mr. Raphael Okoro, called on the President-elect to come to the aid of Nigerian railway workers, whom he said has been subjected to poor remuneration over the years.

    The union had in the last one year been calling for improved living wage and condition of service for its members as well as sufficient manpower for effective running of the railway transport system in the country.

    Okoro said: “Considering his unbending patriotism and quest for national development, I am confident and hopeful that Nigerian railway will fare considerably better under the administration of General Buhari.

    “What it takes to take Nigeria to higher level of national development and stronger integration is a functional and effective rail transport system. I strongly believe that what determines the extent a country like Nigeria can go in terms of development is its commitment to attaining rail infrastructural proficiency.”

    He recalled that over the years, the Federal Government has spent several billions of naira on the asset rehabilitation and re-equipping of the Nigerian Railway without any impact on the welfare and liveability of the workers. According to him, the workers who will put the multi-billion equipment to use still grope in poor remuneration and welfare.

    He added that railway workers’ welfare and remuneration should be of great concern to the President-elect in order to attract skilled and employable Nigerians to the industry and make the sector the highest employer of labour.

  • Aba road rehabilitation begins

    Aba road rehabilitation begins

    road rehabilitation effort has started in Aba, Abia State’s commercial nerve. Over 150 trailer loads of materials were said to have been deployed to the exercise spearheaded by the governorship candidate of the Progressive People’s Alliance (PPA), Sir Chikwe Udensi.

    No fewer than 10 roads were said to have been fixed in the exercise, which involves sand-filling and other forms of remedial work.

    The roads include St. Peter’s Catholic Church Road, Eziukwu-Aba, Uratta, sections of Power Line, Hospital Road, Ohanku, Obohia, Old Express, Eziukwu and Omuma roads.

    Udensi, a former national secretary of the Association of Local Government of Nigeria (ALGON) and security consultant to the police, spoke with reporters shortly after inspecting a section of Omuma Road (St. Paul).

    He said he embarked on the rehabilitation to address the suffering of the residents, particularly those who lived in areas with poor access roads.

    “I embarked on the rehabilitation of these roads because the people have suffered and I can’t wait to become governor before I do something that will end their sufferings.

    “As I speak with you, we’ve taken delivery of over 150 tipper trailer loads of chippings and if they will not be enough, we hope to order for more so that the roads could be put in good shape before the rains come.”

    He said it was disheartening that Omuma Road which connects the city centre with Ariaria International Market and Ebiri Omuma in Rivers State has been in a sorry state, leaving residents to groan.

    He promised to begin the clearance of the debris which covered about a kilometer of the road by this week to enable the actual rehabilitation start. He lamented that people who paid taxes lived under such circumstances.

    “It is shameful that people should be allowed to live in such squalor when a responsible and responsive government should have done a little by rehabilitating the road and providing drainages,” he said.

    Responding to a question, the PPA governorship candidate said if he could use his personal money to rehabilitate roads in the city, he would not only rehabilitate all the roads in the city but change the mindset of the people on governance through delivery of democracy dividends as soon as he becomes the governor of the state.

    He therefore urged the people of the state to vote for him and indeed other PPA candidates during the elections for the change that is needed in Abia.

  • Ogun community urges rehabilitation of road

    Ogun community urges rehabilitation of road

    Adalemo, a community in Ado/Odo-Ota Local Government Area of Ogun State are urging the state government to rehabilitate the community road.

    The Nation reporter, who visited the community, observed that the road was in a deplorable condition and has exposed road users to avoidable dangers.

    The road considered a major link to other communities has been abandoned by motorists and motorcyclists because of its poor condition. They have described it as death trap.

    Thus, perhaps makes motorcyclists charge abnormal fares because they are the only means of transportation on the road.

    Speaking with The Nation, one of the landlords in the community, Olufemi Jegede, stated that the road had become a major concern to the residents.

    He added that residents yearly contribute money to grade the road, using sand and pebbles at times to fill the potholes, which are washed away whenever there is rain.

    Jegede said the community is about contributing money again to ensure grading immediately the rain stops. But how long would they continue with this, is the question.

    “The road, as you see, needs big drainage on both sides and it will be difficult for the low income people leaving in the community to contribute money to do this. Definitely, we need government’s help”, Jegede said.

    Also speaking, Primate Omoleye, noted that as a result of these, many activities have been affected negatively, many lives and properties have also been lost.

    He said most of the pot holes on the road are so deep that each can swallow a car.

    “The community has tried to persuade the government; we have sent delegates to the state government some years back, unfortunately, all to no avail.

    “So we are therefore appealing Governor Ibikunle Amosun to come to our aid before erosion will seep us away”, Omoleye pleaded.

    Mrs Adebayo, a trader, lamented that she had been going through hell before she could stock her shop due to the nature of the road.

    She added that the her suppliers had stopped bringing goods because of the bad road and transporting crates of minerals, soft drinks and bags of pure water is a difficult task.

    She lamented that her husband, Mr Olugbenga Adebayo, a bank worker and landlord in the community had refused going out for long with his car due to the bad state of the road. “Driving car, especially small cars on this road, is like punishing and damaging the car. That the road is not encouraging anyone to drive cars and this is affecting businesses in the area.

    “We are appealing to the state government to rehabilitate the road as the rainy season is here,”

    Mr Salawu Gbamgbola, a resident and okada rider in the area, explained that the road had been in a state of disrepair for many years, said the people of the area were not comfortable with the situation.

    Salawu, said, riding okada in the road is not an easy task, “we are just managing it since there is no other means of living. New okada does not last more than six months before it become old. we are all live by drugs at the end of a day job or else, it won’t be easy to work next day.

    While appealing to the Ogun State government, residents explained that with the heavy rain being predicted this year, hard times are ahead if nothing is done to cushion the difficulties being experienced on the road.

  • Oshiomhole releases N100m for road rehabilitation

    Governor Adams Oshiomhole of Edo State has released N100 million to the Edo State Rapid Response Agency for road rehabilitation.

    Benin City residents, especially those living in the Government Reservation Area (GRA), have been lamenting poor state of the roads.

    The recent heavy rains have worsened roads, such as Boundary, Ihama, Central, Adesuwa among others.

    Officials of the agency have begun repair on the Central road and others.

    The Executive Director of the agency, Mr. Mujaidu Dako, an engineer, who confirmed the release of the fund, said it was for phase one maintenance work.

    He said heavy rains were responsible for the delay in road maintenance.

    According to him, “it is because of the rains we were not able to start work. We will take advantage of any break to work on the roads.”

  • ‘Don’t suspend rehabilitation of Lagos slums’

    A coalition of 20 civil society organisations under the auspices of Centre for Public Opinion Monitoring (CENPOM) has appealed to the Lagos State House of Assembly to intervene in the planned suspension of the rehabilitation of Lagos slums by the World Bank.

    The group stormed the assembly in a peaceful protest yesterday. In a petition addressed to the Speaker of the House and signed by the coalition’s coordinator, Tosin Adeyanju, the group said it was protesting on behalf of the poor communities after it learnt of the plans by the World Bank to cancel the project and use its funds for a less-important project.

    The statement read in part, “Our attention has been drawn to the plight of slum dwellers in Lagos State, particularly in areas like Amukoko, Ajegunle, Agege, Badia, Ijeshatedo, Iwaya, Ilaje, Bariga and Makoko, who are the beneficiaries of a World Bank funded programme tagged ‘Lagos Metropolitan Development and Governance Project’ worth 200 million dollars, designed to upgrade the low level of the human, social and infrastructural base of the communities.

    “Our investigation reveals that the initial delay in the take-off of the project was caused by disagreements between the Lagos State Government and the World Bank on content of the project and procurement issues. This, in turn, delayed accessing parts of the funds early, but the nine slums have started to feel the impact of the project.”

    “While we commend the Lagos State Governor, Babatunde Fashola on the efforts to mitigate the pains of the inhabitants of the areas, particularly the Bayida East affected by the demolition, the governor should accelerate the rehabilitation and resettlement of the displaced persons and payment of compensation to those affected. We want the governor to commence engagement process with the World Bank and the Federal Ministry of Finance to forestall the cancellation of the project,” the group said.

    The Speaker, Adeyemi Ikuforiji, promised that the House would address the situation with immediate effect.

  • Eneramo begins rehabilitation

    Eneramo begins rehabilitation

    NEW Bekistas signing, Michael Eneramo, on Thursday began his rehabilitation process after undergoing a successful knee surgery.

    Pictures released by the club, saw the Nigerian working out at the Sports Health Center of Acibadem Fulya Hospital.

    Eneramo’s rehabilitation process is closely watched by Specialist Professor of Orthopaedics and Traumatology, Dr. Omer who performed the surgery on him.

    According to the programme, Eneramo is expected to do physical therapy with the view to reduce his weight and to minimize stamina.

    His running schedule is then expected to begin before the end of this week.

     

  • Abia roads for rehabilitation

    The General Manager, Abia State Road Maintenance Agency, (ABROMA), Engr. Ndukwe Orji Agu has assured of the determination of the agency to repair roads in the state.

    Speaking in Umuahia, Agu gave the assurance while supervising road maintenance between Factory Road leading to Aba road in Umuahia, saying that the agency has been carrying out its mandate from the period it was inaugurated last year.

    However, reacting to insinuations that the agency has lived up to its mandate, Engr. Agu said: “Well, whoever that says that seems no to be fair to the government of the day being led by Governor Orji. We came on board last year, shortly after our inauguration, the governor made available some funds to us as take-off grants. Upon the receipt of that funds, we acquired some basic equipment that could take us far in pursuing the primary mandate in road maintenance”.

    The GM said that the agency had last year carried out some critical road maintenance at Aba and Umuahia where the agency was involved in road surfacing in Aba including Aba-Owerri Road, Milverton by Eziukwu road, Ahia-Udele direct to Opobo junction and Faulks road that leads to the popular Ariaria Market in addition to the ones in Umuahia.

    He added:“This year irrespective of the rainy season, in the last three weeks, we have been hitting the road; if you go round, the evidence is there for anybody to see.There is a good number of them, we were at the long stretch of Umuwaya road, Uwalaka road, World Bank Junction. There are more than 20 of such roads in Umuahia, primarily our mandate is on road maintenance not on road construction”.

    Agu advised Abians against carrying out some activities that could damage roads in the cities of Umuahia and Aba, “they should desist from activities that are injurious to our roads such as using the asphalt surfaces as workshops, the discharge of waste water from homes and boreholes and indiscriminate cutting of roads for one reason the other.