The Nation Newspaper

Tag: repair

  • Fashola: Fed Govt will repair its roads in Ekiti

    Fashola: Fed Govt will repair its roads in Ekiti

    The Minister of Works, Power and Housing, Mr. Babatunde Fashola (SAN), has said the Federal Government will soon begin the repairs of its roads in Ekiti State.

    Fashola spoke at the weekend during a fact-finding visit to some roads President Muhammadu Buhari approved recently for repairs in the state.

    He said it was the resolve of the Buhari administration that all federal roads must be made motorable to Nigerians.

    Represented by the Southwest Zonal Director in the ministry, Mr. Emmanuel Adeoye, the minister said priority would be given to the Federal road linking Ifaki Ekiti and Ikole Ekiti road network.

    Fashola said most of the roads currently witnessing major repairs had long been awarded but their repairs stalled due to non-receipt of further mobilisation by contractors.

    The minister said the government’s concern for those using the roads made it to consider the return of contractors to sites, after paying them the due mobilisation.

    He urged motorists to use the roads well, adding that the residents should avoid illegal activities, such as cutting the roads or setting bonfire on them to guarantee their durability.

    Also, the representative of Kopek Construction Company, the contractor handling the Iwaraja-Erinmo-Efon federal road axis rehabilitation project, Mr. Pascal Harfouch said the contract was originally awarded to his company since 2011 at a total cost of N3.5b.

    He said the job which covers a distance of 21.8 kilometre was stalled as a result of unpaid certificates amounting to over N1 billion.

    However, he said the company had to return to site to complete the job, having received mobilisation from the Buhari-led government.

    This was coming just as he called for an upward review of the contract sum which he said was no longer in tune with the economic realities of the present day Nigeria.

    Welcoming the team, the Vice Chairman of Ado-Ekiti branch of the Nigerian Society of Engineers (NSE), Olumide Ogundipe and the state’s head of the ministry, Mr. Ezekiel Kehinde, said they would continue to monitor the progress of work on the project which they said had reached over 86 percent completion stage.

  • Vandalised street lights for repair

    The Enugu State Rural Electrification Board (ESREB) has assured residents that vandalised street lights will be repaired soon.

    The General Manager, Simon Atigwe, attributed the malfunctioning of the facilities in some locations in Enugu Metropolis and Nsukka to “persistent vandalism by hoodlums”.

    A statement by Atigwe said: “The board is working to repair and rectify the anomalies to ensure effective operation of the street lights in a few days to serve the people better.”

    He appealed to the people to be patient and assist the government in protecting the facilities by being vigilant and reporting any suspicious movement around the facilities.

    Atigwe, who said the management team has recorded significant progress in restoring the affected facilities, reiterated the government’s commitment to provide functional street lights for the people’s benefit.

  • Return, refund, repair policy underway

    This week, I watched a mild, unusual drama at the Balogun Market, Lagos. A young woman who trades in ladies clothing had come to return one of the over twenty dresses she bought from her customer of over two years but the wholesaler vehemently refused to take the dress back from her.

    Listening and watching the scene from a nearby shop directly opposite, I could not help but draw nearer to get the full details of what was going on.

    Moyo Adebayo, a regular customer of Demilade Adedeji, who by now was very agitated and angry, said that she bought 20 dresses from the wholesaler with the intention of reselling them. “On getting home, however, I realised that the zip on one of them was bad, so two days later I came with the dress hoping to exchange or get a refund but Mr. Adedeji was not available to attend to me.”

    Recounting her ordeal, Adebayo said she then left a message with Adedeji’s neighbour. “Exactly one week later, I came back again with the damaged dress but was informed by Adedeji’s sales boy that his boss had gone to Aba. When I made to leave the dress with the boy, he refused to take it back from me.

    “Coming back today, Mr. Adedeji is saying that he will not take the dress back as it had been in my custody for over one week. Is it my fault that he has not been around? Maybe he has even been around all along. Maybe he was even dodging me,” added Mrs. Adebayo furiously.

    On hearing that, the wholesaler jumped to his feet, with a pointed finger towards Adebayo, he told her that she was lying. Turning to the small crowd of onlookers, she said, “the day this woman bought the clothing, she scrutinised all of them in my presence and none was faulty. How come she noticed the faulty zip when she got home? If you check further, you may even find out that she has already worn that particular dress.”

    Turning to the woman, he asked her to leave his shop as he would not oblige her what she wanted. Of course, the visibly angry woman said she was not going without getting a refund of her money or at least an exchange.

    This incident readily brought to mind another incident I witnessed at Tejuosho Market, Yaba, Lagos. This was the case of Mama Ugochi [not real names]. She walked to the front of a shop where they sell bed linens on Ojuelegba Road, directly opposite Tejuosho Market stalls and started raining abuses on the shop owner and his sales boys.

    The woman was so angry that it was difficult to deduce what she was saying. However, after some passersby calmed her down, she explained that she had asked the sellers for bed spread for a 6×7 bed, specifying the colour and texture of material she preferred.

    Continuing, she related, “As the sales boy handed me the already made and packaged bed spread, noting it was the colour I requested for, I paid believing that every other thing about the bed spread would equally be okay. In my hurry to evade the traffic, as it was already close of work, I made the mistake of not opening the packed bed spread before leaving the shop.

    “When I reached home, I opened the package and found that I had been deceived. The bed spread was not wide enough for a 6×7 bed. It could only fit a 4×6 bed. Not only that, the bed linen was joined in several places. What kind of wickedness is this?” queried the duped woman.

    From the reactions of the sales boys and even the shop owner, it was obvious that what the woman was alleging was their stock in trade.

    Entreaties from other customers that they should appease the woman by giving her the exact bed spread she paid for or give her back her money, fell on deaf ears. Their defence was that as the woman has cursed them, they would not give her the money back or even exchange the bed spread for her.

    This does not happen only in the open market. It happens in mega shops and online shops in Nigeria. I have witnessed such incident in the big retail super market, ‘Justright’ shop.  The super market chain Shoprite at a point had ‘non refundable’ printed on their carrier bag. Most Online shops in Nigeria will go to terrible length in order to frustrate when it comes to the issue of refunds.

    Definitely, we all appreciate that there are products one cannot return or even exchange. Intimate products, perishable food items, some electrical goods, etcetera, cannot be returned or exchanged because of their nature, but if a buyer has reasonable excuses and the sold good is still in the same condition and the buyer brought it back in good time, there is no reason why the trader should not exchange it for the customer. Money may not be given back as it may not be readily available.

    On what can be done in order to avoid the ugly experiences above, Mr. Abiodun Muyiwa of the Consumer Protection Council of Nigeria [CPC] promised that consumers will be better off when the Return, refund and repair policy (3Rs) eventually takes off.

    Speaking in a telephone interview, the CPC spokesman said that the agency was working on a guarantee policy which also has the 3Rs in it. “This is a government policy that will regulate how returns, refunds and repairs between sellers and buyers will be handled.”

    On how far the agency has gone with the policy and when it will be ready, he called for patience, stressing that such government policies pass through many stages, though he appealed for more time to give a definite response.

  • Fed Govt begins repair of roads, bridges in Lagos

    Fed Govt begins repair of roads, bridges in Lagos

    The Federal Controller of Works, Lagos, Mr Godwin Eke, yesterday said major roads and bridges in Lagos State were undergoing emergency and remedial repairs.

    Eke, in an interview in Lagos, said some bad roads required urgent attention and that the Federal Government was determined to make all federal roads in Lagos and across the nation motorable.

    He said some of the roads have been completed while others were still undergoing repairs.

    He explained that remedial works on both carriageways of Apongbon Bridge undulations had since been completed, noting that, speed was achieved on the project because the contractors worked at night.

    He listed ongoing emergency repair projects to include, repairs on Ijora Causeway, Ijora Flyover (East Link), Funsho Williams Avenue, replacement of 1 N  expansion joint on Eko Bridge, Costain Roundabout to Eko Bridge Ramp and Costain to Iganmu Bridge (Orile Bound).

    Others projects are: Funsho Williams Bridge to Alaka, Carter Bridge Roundabout to LAWMA Junction (Eko Bridge Bound Carriageway), Herbert Macaulay Way (Jibowu Junction to Adekunle Junction) and Outer Marina to Ahmadu Bellow way (From Apongbon Bridge to Bonny Camp).

    Also listed were Falomo Roundabout through Kingsway Road to Osbourne Road, Apapa Road to Western Avenue (Between Iganmu Bridge Ramp and Western Avenue Bridge Ramp (Alaka Bound Carriageway), Apapa Road towards Iganmu Bridge (Orile Bound) which were receiving attention.

    Eke said Ijora Olopa to Ijora7Up (Beside Oloye Nursery and Primary School (Ijora Olopa Bound), Alaka to Apongbon through Eko Bridge (both carriageways), Onikan Junction through Independent Bridge to Apongbon Bridge (Apongbon Bound) were undergoing repairs.

    According to him, Lagos Island/General Hospital to Apongbon, Onikan/Lagos Island to Apongbon through Apongbon Bridge/CMS (CMS Bound), Eko Bridge Approach to Ijora, Ijora to Apapa Road through underneath Iganmu Flyover (Costain Bound) and National Theatre Train Station to Costain (Costain Bound) were being worked upon.

    He said government was working on concluding plans for other roads not yet captured and appealed to residents of Lagos “to be patient with government” as the repairs would soon reach other roads.

    “Due to paucity of funds government cannot repair all the roads at the same time,” he said.

    The controller said that Apapa Oshodi/Tin Can Island Road was undergoing procurement and that government was also planning permanent reconstruction of roads on the Apapa/Tin Can Island/Oshodi Road corridor  to reduce gridlock/congestion to the barest minimum.

    “We will carry out some palliatives as soon as the procurement process is concluded.

    “The high water table in Apapa requires proper design  and adoption of rigid pavement to ensure longevity of our roads,” Eke said.

  • FCT Minister, please repair Bwari roads

    It is a common all over the country today as urchins and jobless youths take to road repairs to eke out a living. The vacuum created by the absence of federal roads maintenance agencies made it possible for this army of the unemployed to resort to voluntary road rehabilitation work for instant reward. They wave to vehicle drivers plying the roads in appealing gestures for reciprocation. Bwari Area Council has its own fair share of this voluntary public works army of the jobless.

    Bwari Area Council is one of the six area councils in the Federal Capital Territory. It is strategically ensconced between hard high-rise rocky hills that border Niger and Kaduna States. The natural monument gives the area its beautiful and splendid panoramic view.

    Bwari village, which over time has been undergoing rural urban gentrification, is host to the Nigeria Law School, the Joint Admissions and Matriculation Board (JAMB) headquarters, Usma Dam, Military Defence Camp, Bwari Pottery and other private hospitality services. This process of rural gentrification perhaps was occasioned by the location of the area council secretariat on the land. Since then, other intervening social factors have helped in triggering influx of people, trade and services into the area.

    Top among these factors is the threat of demolition and actual demolitions in some parts of the FCT in the past. Another worthy factor of note that escalated the influx is the worsening economic crisis. The centre has become too expensive for the average income earners. Artisans and traders are perennially under siege by government agents over environmental related laws and its violations. Hence, given the contiguity of Bwari to AMAC, it becomes the refugee location for all those fleeing from pain, embarrassment ensuing from constant harassment. This influx has mixed impacts on the host community as available land and roads come under severe utilization and stress. The village became over populated and very sordid lacking sanitation and social amenities.

    The roads came under severe decline due to over use and lack of maintenance and rehabilitation. For vehicle owners and commuters alike, the fear of Bwari road is the beginning of wisdom. What would have been a sigh of relief for the residents is the Urban Mass Transport service. This relief was cut short no sooner than it started. Reasons abound as to why the service has been far from the expected objectives right from the outset. The fleet deployed on that route is hardly sufficient due to huge population of commuters.

    It is a long stretch of rural road commuted on a daily basis by numerous suburb dwellers. It is home to many who commute from the city arterials to their various places of endeavour. The urban mass transport company must as a matter of public service interest rescinds its decision not to deploy road worthy new model buses on Bwari road. The commuters are punished unduly as the task of road building and maintenance lie with the government through its relevant agencies. The people over time are over stretched, as they toil in the midst of plenty, yet have nothing to show for it. They continue to suffer and smiling even in the midst of the grinding harsh economic reality on ground.

    • By Comrade Ogbu A. Ameh

    onwaters2011@gmail.com

     

  • Minister leads experts on VVF repair mission

    Minister leads experts on VVF repair mission

    Vesico-Vaginal Fistula (VVF) is prevalent in Nigeria. OYEYEMI GBENGA-MUSTAPHA reports on how the Minister of Health, Prof Isaac Adewole, for three days, led a team of experts that performed surgeries on some women, and gave them back their dignity at the Wesley Guild Hospital, Ilesa, Osun State.

    For three days, 26 women  living with Vesico-Vaginal Fistula (VVF)  received treatment from a team of professionals/surgeons in genitourinary and urogynaecology. The team was led by the Minister of Health, Prof Isaac Adewole.

    The venue was the Wesley Guild Hospital, Ilesa, Osun State.

    The free obstetric fistula surgical repair was organised by the Federal Ministry of Health, in collaboration with the United States Agency for International Development (USAID), the Osun State Government and the Obafemi Awolowo University Teaching Hospital, Ile-Ife.

    Decked in a surgical kit,  Adewole busied himself with surgeries.

    This is the second time the minister would lead a team of medics, including the International Society of Fistula Surgeon National President, Prof Oladosu Ojengbende, on such surgery. The first was at the Federal Medical Centre, Jabi, Abuja last October, where surgeries were carried out on over 50 VVF patients.

    Each had an unpleasant experience  to tell. They recounted stories of their rejection, depression, isolation and mental frustration.

    One of them is Mrs. Iyabo Olaseku (not real name), a 35-year-old resident of Erinmo, Ijesa, a suburb of Ilesa, whose  VVF ailment started three years ago.

    According to her, despite her undergoing the VVF surgery, she still finds it difficult to reintegrate into the society.

    Mrs. Olaseku said: “It was very devastating and dehumanising. I have lost everything called self-worth and esteem. It was frustrating, leaking and oozing out bad odour as an adult. I kept to myself. I hardly go out again. So blending into the society is going to take a while.”

    The story of Hajia Sadia Kolawole (not real name), a mother of two children, moved listeners to tears . She recalled being transferred from a Lagos hospital to Ilesa.

    “I have been abandoned by my family, relatives. Even my husband is nowhere to be found in the last two years. I used to be a trader but now, I have been economically devalued as I cannot stand in public places for too long because of the bad odour emanating from my body,” she said.

    Adewole said the over 300,000 women living with VVF in Nigeria is of serious concern to the ministry and to the USAID, hence the reasons he is advocating regular trainings for volunteers in the specialised medical field to join the Federal Government in tackling VVF.

    To cater for the axis, the hospital was declared a VVF repair centre.

    “I am announcing that the Ilesa Wesley Guild Hospital has become a centre for VVF operations in Nigeria. I am reiterating that the simple way to prevent obstetric fistula is to be delivered safely by skilled medical personnel. This is to reduce the cases of VVF because most of them are usually the case of obstetric fistula. These are helpless women caught in the web of VVF,” Adewole said.

    On why he participated, the minister explained. “This is our small way of showing leadership and concern to the plight of the suffering masses, and our display of affection must be a thorough practical approach of putting smiles on their faces, removing shame and reproach, restoring dignity to womanhood and more importantly lifting the undue financial burden the disease has placed on them.”

    Ojengbende and the Minister’s Special Adviser, Dr. Imran O. Morhason-Bello, described the minister’s participation as a rare display of patriotism, considering his tight schedule.

    “He sees this mission to the Wesley Guild Hospital is another life-saving intervention. And he is here with more capable hands to perform another round of VVF repairs on suffering women,’’ the aide said.

    “Prof. Isaac Folorunso Adewole is taking giant stride in evolving and revolutionising the entire medical sector in the last 24 months. He started the free cervical and breast screening for women last year. He initiated the Northeast Emergency Nutritional and Medical Response, and has  promised to ensure smooth implementation of more surgeries of the VVF in the 2018 budget,” Morhason-Bello, added.

    Declaring the event open, the Country Project Manager of USAID Fistula Care Plus, Chief Iyeme Ifem, decried the silence and long years of medical  denial — VVF treatment was restricted to the North.

    He said the massive turnout for the treatment in the Southwest had shown that many sufferers were hidden and untreated, adding that none of the 26 patients were Hausa-speaking people.

    He urged VVF paients to seek medical help by reporting to the nearest teaching hospital or VVF centre in their locality.

    He described VVF as an abnormal trait extending between the bladder and the vaginal, that allows the involuntary discharge of urine into the vagina vault.

    “In most cases, research has revealed, 90 percent are caused from prolonged obstructed labour during the first or second child bearing, often associated with marked pressure necrosis, edema, tissue sloughing and cicatrisation.

    ‘’Studies have shown that cultural beliefs of marriage and conception at a very young age, often before full pelvic growth has been achieved, is the most prevalent factor, coupled with unsupervised antenatal care by quack medical professionals during child birth and prolong labour,” Ifem said.

    He continued: “An obstetric fistula is a hole between the vagina and rectum or bladder that is caused by prolonged obstructed labour, leaving a woman incontinent of urine or faeces or both. More than 75 percent of women with obstetric fistula have endured labour that lasted three days or more. In the western part of Nigeria, cases of obstetric fistula are from havoc of traditional birth attendance and from mismanagement of CS in some conventional hospital.

    “Twenty-three of the patients have been rejected and abandoned in the society, as they are either divorced or separated as only two are still under a man’s roof. They have become financial burdens to the community, which they belong as they are not employable due to the stigmatisation and serial loss of dignity over time. It has also affected their emotional and psychological well-being.’’

  • Residents hail Ambode’s roads repair

    Residents hail Ambode’s roads repair

    Some residents of Abule Egba yesterday lauded Lagos State Governor, Akinwunmi Ambode for fulfilling his pledge to repair the inner roads used during the construction of Abule Egba Bridge.

    Contractors have moved to site to begin the rehabilitation of the inner roads in Abule Egba including Charity Road.

    The rehabilitation of the roads is expected to further enhance traffic flow in the area, which since the opening of the flyover has improved movement around the axis.

    A resident of Ile-Ogbo in Abule Egba, Mrs Temitope Oyekunle, praised the governor for keeping his words, saying the development has brought relief to people of the area.

    “On the day of the commissioning of the Abule Egba Bridge when Governor Ambode made the pronouncement that our roads would be fixed, personally I expressed doubt judging by the number of projects that have been carried out in our axis by his administration but true to the Governor’s words, contractors moved to site as announced and they are working at a fast pace.

    “I just want to commend the Governor for this and urge him to keep up the good works,” Oyekunle said.

    Another resident, Mr Olakunle Joseph said the quality of work being done on the inner roads was commendable, and it shows the seriousness of the government of the day to truly transform all parts of the State.

    Mrs Tolani Festus, who is a shop owner in the area, said the transformation being witnessed in Abule Egba and its environs was unprecedented in the history of the state.

  • FERMA satisfied with Abia road repair

    ‘What we did was to repair the roads and make them passable for motorists and we have done them to the best level available’

    The management of Federal Road Maintenance Agency (FERMA) has commended the work done by its Abia State office on both the Umuahia-Bende and Umuahia-Ariam-Ikot Ekpene federal roads.

    The commendation was given by Mr Bonaventure Nweke, an engineer, and Deputy General Manager, Operations, Abuja, when he led a team of four other engineers Ilegbusi Adebayo, GM Mechanical, A. J. Adedayo, Zonal Director, Southeast II and Timothy Nehemiah, Operations I Abuja, to Abia, saying that the state office has done well.

    Speaking while conducting the four visiting engineers round the two sites, the resident engineer for Abia State, Abraham Akange said that both roads were awarded on direct labour basis as captured in the 2016 budget.

    Akange said that the management staff came as part of their oversight function to see the extent of work done on the roads, adding that the repair works have been done while the work on drainage system will come next.

    He said that the work on the roads was given out to be done on direct labour basis.

    “What we did was just to repair the roads and make them passable for motorists and we have done them to the best level available.”

    The Abia FERMA boss praised motorists plying the Umuahia-Bende Road for their understanding while the repair work was going on and urged them to be careful as the work has not been completed.

    On the Umuahia-Ariam-Ikot Ekpene road, Akange said that the roads was so bad before now that vehicles were falling into ditches, while others were traveling through bush parts, “But after the work we did, the road is now good enough for motorists to move at good speed”.

    He said that after the work on the road which was flagged off by Senator Theodore Orji representing Abia Central senatorial district and Sam Onuigbo representing Ikwuano/Umuahia federal constituency was completed, “We are going to work on the drainage system”.

    The Abia FERMA boss said that as the 2017 budget is about to be passed that they expect that the federal government will allocate more funds to the agency to enable them tackle more roads in the state.

    Akange praised the people of Ariam for being peaceful during their stay at the area, stressing that there was never any incident such as theft and youth harassment which normally occurs in such situation.

    He used the forum to warn motorists using the newly repaired road to drive with caution, “When the road was bad FERMA was called and we have done our work and now that it is good they have been speeding which could lead to accidents”.

    In his response, the leader of the team, Nweke said they were impressed with the level of work done by their Abia office and urged them to continue to do quality works.

    Nweke said that they were in the state to see the level of work done on their projects as given out through direct labour within the period as budgeted in the outgoing 2016 budget

  • Monarch pleads for road repair

    Traditional ruler of Oto-Awori Oba Josiah Ilemobade Aina has pleaded with the Lagos State Government to reconstruct the road leading to the community’s hospital.

    Oba Aina spoke ahead of his 10th anniversary celebrations.

    He said residents could not got to the general hospital because of the bad road.

    He said when it rains, residents’ movement is restricted.

    The monarch urged government to provide more primary and secondary schools in Oto-Awori because the existing ones are overcrowded and lack teachers.

    He demanded the clearing of water hyacinth from the Ologe lagoon becasue of its importance to the economic development of the area.

  • Ambode orders repair of links road

    Ambode orders repair of links road

    Lagos State Governor Akinwunmi Ambode yesterday expressed displeasure at the state of roads in Bariga.
    The governor ordered contractors to move to site in the next two weeks to fix the roads.
    Ambode, who spoke after inspecting the roads in Bariga, ordered contractors to begin work on Ilaje Road and Odunsi Street.
    The governor, who awarded the contract for the construction of Ariyo Road, said the dilapidated roads were unacceptable to his administration.
    He said in line with the commitment of his administration to transform every part of the state, a new jetty would be built in Ilaje, while a multi-purpose playground and recreation centre would also be built in Oworonshoki.
    Ambode said: “I have just gone round Odunsi Street, Ariyo Street and then Ilaje Street, all connecting Oworo Bus Stop with Bariga. I am totally displeased with the state of the roads that I have personally seen.
    “So, within the next two weeks, contractors will begin work on Ilaje Road and Odunsi Street. We have already awarded the contract for Ariyo Road, which will go under the Third Mainland Bridge, after Bertola and go to the other side of Oworonsoki.
    “In addition to the roads on this Ilaje Road, we will also give you a brand new jetty. Like we have always said, every community in Lagos will not be left behind. We should be able to live in Bariga, work in Bariga and play in Bariga.
    “On the other side of Oworonshoki, we are going to sand-fill and dredge that other part where the bus stop is so that we can have a multi-purpose playground, recreation and entertainment hub.”
    In a swift response to the plea of residents of Soluyi community in Bariga, Ambode ordered that work should begin on the road in the axis within 21 days to ease movement to Gbagada expressway.
    The governor urged the residents to continue to pay their taxes and embrace peace to enjoy more dividends of democracy.
    He said: “I know the people in these communities have always supported our government. So, what we have just come to do is to say a big thank you to you. We are doing the work you have sent us to do.
    “I want to encourage you to continue to pay your taxes. I am very happy this neighbourhood is a little bit crime-free now. I am enjoying the peaceful atmosphere in this area. When you promise me peace, I will do more for your neighbourhood.”
    The Sole Administrator of Bariga Local Council Development Area (LCDA), Sanya Osijo, expressed appreciation to the governor for giving the order.

    He said the repairs would end the suffering of the residents
    Ambode also paid an unscheduled inspection to the site of the construction of world-class transport interchange at Oshodi.
    The governor directed contractors to work assiduously to meet the completion deadline.