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Tag: road

  • Osun’s ‘road’ to economic recovery

    Osun’s ‘road’ to economic recovery

    The government of the state of Osun says it is building multi channel roads, which it believes will stimulate economic prosperity. Seun Akioye looks at how the road projects have affected the common Joe.

    It was not a political rally. Not yet. It was a different kind of rally, one that the supporters called ‘the peoples’ rally. At about 3:00pm on April 15, 2014, Governor Rauf Aregbesola rode into the city of Ilesa in an open roof white Sport Utility Vehicle (SUV) and a convoy of about six vehicles. He was dressed in a white lace that fitted his modest frame and a blue cap, sat proudly on his head; a dark sunshade protected his eyes from the blinding rays of the sun.  Immediately, a crowd gathered and as the convoy progressed into the heart of the city, thousands of enthusiastic supporters joined in forcing it to move at a snail’s pace.

    The governor waved at the people, sometimes gave the victory sign and danced to the impromptu music of the Okada riders and other supporters, who ran alongside his motorcade. He bonded with the people who felt they could honestly lay claim to him as one of their own.

    In the last one year, Aregbesola’s administration has built 29.71 kilometres of roads round Ilesa.  The new roads are on 15 streets. It is like a ring road connecting different sections of the city, so that if one began from one end, one could end up at the same spot going round the city. That was what Aregbesola did when he rode into town to open the roads. He spent over one hour inspecting all 15 roads and ended up at the Ibala Road Community Primary School, venue of the ceremony, where several thousands of people were already waiting. Time was 4:30pm.

    Aregbesola said his overriding ambition is to regain Osun’s place as the economic hub of the Southwest, outside of Lagos and because the state is bordered by five states of the Southwest and the North central, it serves as a veritable alternative to Lagos in trade and investments. So, the governor thought of linking the state with the railway and constructing standardised access roads into the state. The road construction too would serve as internal economic stimulus for the state.

    So, almost four years into this plan, how has the state managed to achieve its objectives?

    “We just want the roads fixed”

    Government agencies said that the construction of 15 roads in Ilesa was unprecedented in the history of the state. Instructively, many of the residents shared this sentiment.  At the ceremony to mark the commissioning of the roads, about 15 traditional rulers, both within the state and outside, graced the occasion.  Speaking for the royal fathers, the Owa Obokun of Ijeshaland, Oba Adekunle Arom-olaran said, the administration of Governor Aregbesola has made the biggest developmental impacts in the state. He mentioned the constructed roads as being unprecedented and threw in a clincher. “I can even say it was during your administration that I gave birth to twins,” he told the governor.

    But, it wasn’t only the royal fathers that appreciated the benefits of the new roads in Ilesa, the people do too. Mary Oyeleye, a resident of Omo-Olupe Street, Bonnke area, just opened a new business where she sells food items.  About a year ago, this had been impossible to accomplish and the reasons are not far-fetched.

    “We have really suffered in this Olupe Street. Before the road was constructed, this whole area was flood and muds especially the Bonnke area. There was a river there and only Okada could pass through this area, when you get to Bonnke, then you have to roll up your dress and wade through the mud and river. There were houses that have been submerged in the river too. This place was a nightmare,” she said.

    The bad condition of the road also had its negative economic impact. Being a major link road to several towns including Ijebu-Ijesa, Osogbo and Akure, the road had been completely deserted by all commercial interests, shops closed down and residents began to move out of the area.

    About a year ago, work began on the road and when the construction was completed the area took on a new image. Apart from the standard construction, Omo-Olupe Street has opened for business. “We built these stores last December because the road is now passable. Also, all the commercial buses are now using this road, so it makes it busy. We are grateful to the governor for doing this; he has totally changed our lives,” Oyeleye said.

    Omo-Olupe is not the only street opened for business, the whole of Ilesa is. From one street to the other, residents spoke of years of decay and neglect but which has been reversed by the construction or rehabilitation of the roads. Omi-Eran road for instance, according to some of the engineers from Ratcon Construction company – the company responsible for the construction of the roads – was a terrible specimen of a township road.

    At the ceremony to commission the roads, the residents discussed the impacts of the new developments in the city.  They were not the only ones to marvel in wonder, the governor did too. “As we drove round the roads today with the people, I was just wondering about what God can do. I was thinking to myself that to have 29 kilometers of roads round Ilesa, this is the first time in the history of this state. I was just thanking God,” the governor said. His eyes dilating with excitement and his voice rising in a sing-song. The crowd caught the bug of his excitement and somebody raised a song loosely translated to thanking God for a new era.

    The excitement about the new roads, however, transcends Ilesa, in Osogbo, where several township and inter-city road constructions have been done and still ongoing, the physical outlook of the city has changed, probably forever.  In Osogbo, the philosophy behind the road constructions remains the same; that is, opening up economic opportunities for many of the residents of the state, from the bottom up approach.

    Mercy land area, a large residential and business settlement in Osogbo, with thousands of residents now wears a new look. It is one of the several Osogbo township roads constructed over four months ago, which linked several neighbourh-oods. In Mercy land area, which conveniently sits on a small hill, there are about 10 newly constructed roads, linking one street with another up and down the hill.

    Kayode Oyediran has operated his tie and dye business from Omonike crescent for five years now but according to him it was only this year that any meaningful improvement has occurred in the area. “Because the whole of Mercy land area was in a terrible shape, you find that people cannot move as freely as they want. The consequence of that is business concerns were affected. It was only those who had Okada that could work here,” he said.

    But things have changed for his business.  Because of the newly constructed roads in the neighbourhood he could easily move his raw materials into site and also his finished goods out of his business premises. “I think on the issues of road construction, I will give the governor a pass mark. This is not the only road he has done, if you go across Osogbo, there are so many inner roads like this that have been done. Osogbo has really changed,” Oyediran enthused.

    The residents of Oke-Arugbo’s 12 zones neighbourhood also believe their newly constructed roads will facilitate business development in the area and boost real estate.

    According to Chief Titus Osobu, the chairman of the All Progressives Congress (APC), Atakumosa West, in Ilesa, but who owns a house in Oke-Arugbo zone 2, the development in the area has been unprecedented.  “I came here about 20-years ago but this type of development has been unprecedented. There were times we had given up, but today, we thank Governor Aregbesola for doing this road for us.

    “We never expected our road will be fixed in 10 years, this governor has really tried and we really appreciate him for that. Tell him we are grateful recipients of all that he is doing,” Titilayo Adetoun, a resident of zone 3, who followed the profession of tailoring said.

    Though the construction of roads in Oke-Arugbo still has about four zones to be completed, the revolution was already catching on in all the zones. “Zone 8, where I live is yet to be constructed, but we can drive on good roads up to this point. We are certain the government must complete all the remaining roads to have a complete development,” Mrs. Adebola Adeseye said.

    Outside the township roads in Osogbo, there are major inter–city construction being undertaken by the Aregbesola administration. One of the major road constructions embarked upon is the famous Oba Adesoji Aderemi bypass.

    The story behind this massive 17.5 kilometer road within Osogbo metropolis is as interesting as the construction itself. According to government officials, the aim of the road is to complete the Ring road round Osogbo.

    Sabitu Amuda, an engineer and Special Adviser to the Governor on Works is the man in charge of the various road constructions. The Oba Adesoji bypass is one of the projects that give him some of the most pleasure and when he talks about it, it shows.

    “It’s a roundabout that connects Iwo road and the West by-pass. It ended there before, but we now want to complete the loop, we want to finish the ring. It starts from Iwo road roundabout and goes the whole of 17.5 kilometers to link back to the roundabout at Ikirun road, so that you have a complete Ring road round Osogbo,” he said.

    Going through the length of the on-going construction is instructive about the determination of the government to bring massive development to that part of the city. A Turkish construction company, Slava-Yeditepe had the task of boring through rocks and wading through rivers to construct the new bypass. From Iwo roundabout to Channel 0, work according to government is about 40 percent completed.

    When The Nation visited the site, workers were seen engaged in the road work. Between channels 0-4, new bridges were springing up over railways and dual carriage ways took the place of deep forests. At Abere junction, a flyover would pass over it to link the road with Oke-Ijetu/Ilesa garage. According to Edwin, one of the site engineers, the flyover will have four loops and ramps to divert traffic. When completed, it will be the first flyover in Osogbo. The engineer also said the road being constructed is of the highest standards using 30cm stone base. Another source inside Slava-Yeditepe also said the roads are being constructed to last 40 years.

    Even though, many houses were demolished in many neighbour-hoods, the people continue to look ahead to the economic prosperity it will bring. They don’t have to wait for long as the road has been throwing up business and developmental opportunities.

    “I give this road two years and you will see a business district here, you just need to picture the road the whole stretch and you can imagine the endless possibilities for business development,” Edwin said.

    Alhaji Moruf Adenekan, who lives around Testing Ground area, corroborated this view: “Everywhere on this road people are buying up land. I know the land is appreciating now; people are buying up to build shopping malls and other things. If you have the money, it is a good business deal to buy land here even for resale later on.”

    The economic benefits are not lost on Oladele Akindele, who owns a business on Oke-Ijetu too. “Well, there are many houses that were demolished, I don’t know if they had been compensated because mine was not demolished, but this road will bring development to this area, that is for sure,” he said.

    Another road generating interesting permutation is the Oshogbo-Ikirun road, which began from the old garage and terminated at Ila-Odo /Kwara state border. It is being handled by a wholly indigenous construction company, Sammya Constructions. The former single carriage way has been made into a dual carriage way, completed with drainage one meter deep and wide. Construction too is almost at 40 percent completion.  Businesses that were disrupted before have reopened. One of them is Best Oyin Aluminium Company.  “During the construction, we had to cope with a lot of things, but now we are very happy because business here has improved,” says Yessuf Dada, one of the workers.

    But the progress did not come easy. From the old garage to Aiyetoro, many buildings had to give way. Despite this, however, Moruf Adeyemi, a traffic warden says his job has been made easier with the new road.

    One of the greatest beneficiaries, Elder Olalere Isaiah, a steel worker at the Kobo area said: “We have not seen this kind of governor before in Osun, this area was the home of flood, when it rained, we experienced massive flood. But with the drainage, this place is dry and our business has improved.”

    Engineers at Sammya said, there were various impediments which necessitated an extension of the time needed to finish the job. “We had to deal with the telecommunications and power cables. We have written to them to move them and even electricity poles have to be moved, all these take time, that is why we have to request for a little extension to finish,” a source said.

    The Gbogan/Akoda/Ede expressway is another massive inter-city road network being constructed by the government. According to Amuda, the thinking behind this road is to facilitate the movement of goods into the state. “We want a situation where coming from Lagos, you can continue with the same dual carriage way into Osogbo. We already have mapped out how this will benefit commercial activities, that is why we are into all these road constructions,” he said.

    But the people begged for more. Olaleye from Omo-Olupe Street, Ilesa said the residents still need a speed breaker on the road to prevent future accidents. Dada also wants a speed breaker on the Ikirun road while Isaiah wants the government to complete the inner roads around the Kobo area.

    At the Ikirun Thursday market, sellers mingled with buyers even as they watched the tractors move into town and a part of the market disappeared to pave the way for the new road. “It’s our market but the government is trying to bring improvement to the state so we are happy even if a part of the market is going,” a representative of the market leader told The Nation.

  • Kudos, knocks for road contracts

    Kudos, knocks for road contracts

    Anambra State Governor, Mr. Peter Obi, has followed the footsteps of former Governor, Sen Chris Ngige in making sure that the state has the best network of roads in the entire country.

    Before now, some people were of the opinion that Obi was adamant on the dilapidated roads both in the capital city of Awka and elsewhere in the state.

    In the last lap of his administration in what he has tagged as the last  push, Obi has awarded more road contracts as if he is just beginning afresh.

    Most of those road contracts cut across all the 177 communities in Anambra including the Enugu-Onitsha Federal expressway.

    All the roads combined would cost the state government over 30 billion naira, while the state is spending close to seven billion naira on the federal road.

    But some of those roads are not being done without any controversy as some of them had either been neglected or abandoned for the incoming administration to complete.

    In the capital city of Awka , one of such roads is the Ezeudu-Akaraogholi road that traversed Arthur-Eze Avenue down to the express road close to Christ the King Hospital .

    It has been close to eight months since the joy of the people was cut short because of the inability of the government to continue work on it.

    There are others across the state that are in the same state, yet more contracts are still being awarded almost on daily basis by the out-going Obi administration.

    However, the State Commissioner for Information, Culture and Tourism, Chief Joe Martins Uzodike told The Nation in Awka that no road has been either neglected or abandoned by the administration.

    Uzodike himself had been accused of being the de-facto Governor by some of his colleagues, alleging that he had cornered about five roads to his native Awka-Etite alone, leaving other communities with either one or nothing.

    But in his reaction, Uzodike explained how he got a “text message” on his phone where he was accused of employing all his people in the state- owned Anambra Broadcasting Service (ABS).

    According to him, “I have not employed any single person in that establishment and if anybody finds out that what I have said is a lie, I will resign this position, I have never employed any single person  “On the road contracts, the only road  this government is doing for my people is the Awka-Etiti – Nnewi which is the only inter link which this area is known for

    “Also, in my local government, the other one is Umuoji, forget the way people talk, you do not pay attention to gossips, all I know is that Obi does not  favour any person or area in distribution of amenities in this state”

    “The only thing that makes people believe that I have cornered all the roads in my area is that we have about 12 tarred roads in Awka-etiti done through self help projects by our illustrous sons

    “If not that those people who constructed those roads are now old, you will be seeing more, we need more roads in this area, and that is where the state government comes in and really, this Obi administration has done well for the people of the state

    “Awka-etiti was known for how many people did you train or make, there was competition in this community, people like Chief IKB Igboanugo, Jeo-Best, Ebele Ezeanya, Patrick Ezeli, Inter-Bau among others, all built roads in this area

    “Not only those influential persons in the area, there were age grade groups that did roads in the community, may be that was the reason that influenced the speculation  that Obi has done many roads for Joe-martins in the community

    “People know how to bring my name into controversy and that is what they are doing on the road issue

    “I ruled Awka-etiti for six years as the President General PG of the town and I had to quit for peace to reign in the area which was done in 1991 under the Dr. Chukwuemeka Ezeife  administration”

    “My decision to resign my position is the fruit of the peace that has existed in the community till date and also, I ran Rangers for 17 years and when I backed out on July19, 1984 till date, the team has not won any laurel

    “People calling me names has been part of me, from 1980 till date, I’m still the National President of Uthman Dan Fodio Alumni (Sokoto) which they have refused to take from me” Uzodike said.

    He said that his only failure in life would be to leave office without persuading Governor Obi to pay gratuity to the ABS and National Light Staff (government-owned establishments) pensions.

    “We want to make them feel they are part of government, but I do not blame Obi because his predecessors abandoned the offices”

    History, according to Uzodike, would have it that no former Commissioner for Information , Culture and Tourism surpassed his achievements  in the state.

    “Let me tell you, those people talking about awarding more contracts in the twilight of his administration and asking which one will he leave for Chief Willie Obiano. Is it not the same government of the All Progressives Grand Alliance?

    “This is APGA government, we are talking of continuity, Obi and Obiano are the same, people who are nursing the impression that Obi will not leave money for Obiano are making a big mistake

    “There are lots of money for the contracts and payment of workers engaged  by the state. Moreover, Governor Obi will leave good money for the incoming administration” Uzodike said.

     

  • Philanthropist builds road for community

    Philanthropist builds road for community

    Gase is an agrarian community in Lapai Local Government Area of Niger State. For many years, members of the community, especially farmers, women and children in the 55 villages that make up the community, trek the 38 kilometre distance to the main Lapai-Muye-Lokoja Road to their various residences.

    This is because they have no access road linking them to other neighbouring communities.

    The only road from Lambata linking Eshepa, Alaba, Favu to Danmarokopa, Sabo, Abugi Jankara, Tengi and Gayankpa has been in a bad condition for many years due to neglect by successive administrations despite its strategic position to both the Federal Capital Territory (FCT) and Kogi State.

    Every year, farm produce of the people who are predominantly farmers rot away due to lack of good road that would enable them to evacuate their produce to the market. The few people who take the risk of using the few commercial vehicles that risk plying a pseudo-road usually pay through their nose. Majority of the people either convey their produce on motorcycles or trek several kilometres with heavy load to FCT, Lokoja or Lapai.

    The road is narrow and rugged and hardly contains two vehicles. Wooden culverts on the road create the risk of motorists and motorcycles falling into a ditch. The road is practically impassable during the rainy season. Members of the community have resigned to fate.

    This was the situation until when Engr Abdullahi Isah Jankara popularly known as “AJ”, decided to single-handedly open up the road.

    In November last year, the Petrochemical Engineer began the widening, clearing and grading of the 38-kilometre road. The project which involves construction of seven bridges, payment of compensation for houses, churches and mosques demolished and grading is almost 80 per cent completed.

    For Jankara, the suffering of his people, their inability to access their neighbouring communities to sell their farm produce or visit friends for lack of motorable road became a thing of concern to him.

    He said: “First and foremost, what is happening in my community is disheartening. Coming to my locality was becoming unbearable, especially during the rainy season. At a point, one couldn’t come into the community with one’s vehicle. During heavy period of rains, we would be totally cut off from other towns.  I felt I had to come and make my own little contribution and help to reduce the suffering of my people.

    “So, we decided to commence the opening up of the 38-kilometre road from Lambata to the bank of River Gurara in Gayankpa which connects us with the FCT and Kogi State.

    “The concept of the road we had before was not meant to stand the test of time. The wooden culverts were made to accommodate only one small vehicle at a time. When the road is opened up, the way we want it to be, it will withstand the test of time. There will be expansion of the former culverts in a way that it can accommodate heavy trucks.”

    Though he set out to open the road, he has some hurdles to surmount. If a bridge is not built on River Gurara to link the community with FCT, his dream will be a mirage.

    “At the end of opening up the road, we need a bridge to link the community with FCT and Kogi State. This is a big project far beyond us. So, we are appealing to state government to come and complement our effort by constructing a bridge on River Gurara to link Niger State at this end with FCT at the other end.

    “If this is done, all the farm produce of our people can have free access to the markets in Abuja, Lokoja and many other places,” he said.

    Aside from the fact that the project will bring succour to his people, Jankara said the completion of the road will significantly enhance Federal Government’s huge investment on the dredging of River Niger and the construction of inland Port at Baro.

    “This road will provide a shorter link from many northern states to the Baro Port. From Abaji in FCT, motorists will not have to go to Kogi State before assessing Baro Port, thereby saving cost and mileage,” he stated.

    Many people thought Jankara’s philanthropic gesture was politically-motivated. He dispelled the notion. For him, the joy of his people whenever they pass the road to market or visit friends gives him the satisfaction he wanted and not for any political gain.

    “I’m neither a politician nor interested in any political office or appointment. I am also not doing this for recognition from anybody. People should not think that I am looking for political office for doing what I am doing. I believe I have to contribute tothe development of my community, which is what made me embark on the project,” he said.

    On the cost of the project, he said: “I will be sounding like a politician if I tell you the cost of the project. This is my own modest contribution to the well-being of my people. The amount of money spent cannot be equated with the relief the project will have on my people. For me, I don’t make public show of any project God has enabled me to do for my people.”

    He said he would have preferred not to publicise the project so that people would not read meaning to his good intention, but for the need to get government to come to the community’s aid as work on the project is gradually coming to an end particuarly where a bridge would be needed.

    “I agreed to communicate through this medium because we need government’s assistance regarding the bridge. I want to tell the government that an individual who have come to help his community is doing this marvelous project. I am not seeking for any office from government but if I can contribute to this level, I think if the government comes in, it would complete the history.

    “I want to tell the governor that the community is pleading with him to open us up to a bigger world by constructing this bridge. If this is done we are going to be very happy,” he stated.

    He further explained that he did the project as a way of giving back to his community for making him who he is. On whether other stakeholders contributed to the project, he said he has received no contribution from any organisation or from anyone, adding that he is the one who is funding the project, even though he declined to disclose the total amount estimated for the project and the amount so far spent.

    “There is no contribution from anywhere. Nobody has given me any assistance in terms of funding for this project but as work continues, we are going to have to ask for government’s intervention because building the bridge across the river is very expensive and no individual can do it. We will need government in Minna to come to our aid,” he stated.

    The construction of the road was not his first attempt at making life bearable for his people. In 2009, he single-handedly built and equipped the Community Junior Secondary School. He has been responsible for payment of salary of six teachers in the school for the past four years.

    For his philanthropy, he has been praised by all. Etsu Mamman Gana, the Village Head of Ganyankpa, opened the floodgate of praises to AJ.

    For the octogenarian, the opening up of the road is giving the community a new lease of life and great economic opportunities to explore. The project, the royal father said, was the answer to the cries of the people.

    “Before our son began this road project, it was hellish for my people and the entire villages around; we lacked so many things. As a result of the impassable state of our road, things are neither brought to us from the city or for us to take things out of this area. We are farmers, we record losses every year as our produce rot away because the road is not accessible. We are happy that with the road being constructed, we can sell our products and compete favourably with other wards in this local government and beyond.

    “Jankara has wiped off our cry; he has energised our frail bones. We are grateful to him and we call on the state government to partner with him to complete the work, especially the construction of bridge on River Gurara,” the royal father pleaded.

    Also speaking, the eldest member of Abugi Jankara Village, Alhaji Ibrahim Jankara said: “Abdullahi is God-sent to us. In all facets of life, if there is no road accessibility, one will be locked up. God has provided someone who has done our road for us. We hope the other challenges like potable water and health centre will be looked into.”

    He also lamented government’s neglect of the community. “We in this community pay taxes to government but we are being sidelined. We don’t have a functional clinic and even the community secondary school was built by this same Abdullahi, who is opening up our road. He pays the salaries of our teachers. We have been forgotten by both the local and state governments but thank God for AJ,” he said.

    But for AJ, the education of 16-year-old Mahamud Abdullahi, a student of the Junior Secondary School built by him would have been truncated.

    “I owe whatever I will become to Allah (SWT) but for AJ, maybe, I would have ended my life without going beyond primary school. Today I am in JSS 3 in the community school he built. The road project has given our parents hope that our farm produce can get to the market”

    Hajiya Talatu Alaba said:”With what AJ is doing, we hope that our local and state governments will wake from their slumber. The fact is, if an individual embarks on a project of this magnitude, it shows that government in such area has gone to sleep.

    Commending the pace of work on the project, Mustafa Gana who is indigenous to Ganyankpa but resides in Minna, advised the state and local governments to take a cue from AJ.

    “If within two months AJ has opened up virtually the entire stretch of the road, one wonders why after six to seven years government has not completed 10-kilometre road in each of the local government areas.

  • Ogun to complete road

    The Ogun State government has assured that it will complete the on-going construction of Lafenwa road in Abeokuta North Local Government and Ayetoro road in Yewa North Local Government Area of the state by December, this year.

    The state Commissioner for Works and Infrastructure, Olamilekan Adegbite, spoke while inspecting the road.

    The 50-kilometre road is being reconstructed into six lanes with facilities, such as street lights, median, sidewalks and green belt.

    When completed, it is expected to further boost the economy of the state.

    “The road should be ready by December this year and it is part of the administration’s agenda to create a city of global standard where lives and property are safe-guarded,” he noted.

    The Lafenwa-Ayetoro road is a federal road.

    Adegbite, who said most of the federal roads in the state are bad and had been neglected over the years, also said the state government decided to come to peoples’ assistance by reconstructing the roads and widen them in line with international standard.

    Besides, he said since all roads in the state are used by the people irrespective of whether they are federal or state, there is the need to make them motorable, adding they will address the incessant traffic logjam on the roads.

    He said the government realised that the new roads being constructed across the state were new phenomena, adding that it had started constructing some of the roads while the exercise will be continued to check excessive speeding by motorists.

    He, therefore, urged the people to desist from arbitrary construction of speed-breakers on the new roads without government’s approval.

  • Enyimba’s opponents hit Nigeria by road

    Enyimba’s opponents hit Nigeria by road

    Enyimba’s CAF Champions League preliminary round first leg opponents, Anges de Notse of Togo have chosen to arrive in Aba, venue of tomorrow’s game by road.

    A top official of the People’s Elephant told NationSport that the club had yet to arrive in the South Eastern city as at evening yesterday.

    The official further told NationSport that the Togolese side initially kept them in the dark about their itinerary, but they eventually got word from them on Thursday that they were on their way to Nigeria by road.

    Enyimba will host the first leg at their fortress – The Enyimba International Stadium – and a good win will boost the Aba Millionaire’s chances of a place in the next round.

    The Francophone side emerged as their country’s league champions for last season and this fetched them their nation’s sole ticket to the money-spinning competition, while Enyimba came second behind Kano Pillars in the Glo Nigerian Premier League last season also.

    Both are seeking a spot to the first round of the Champions League with Enyimba overwhelming favourites to progress having won the competition twice in 2003 and 2004, and also being semi finalists the last time they participated in 2011.

  • Council to construct feeder roads

    Council to construct feeder roads

    The chairman of Kuje Area Council of the Federal Capital Territory (FCT) Hon. Shaban Tete has said that due to non-availability of access roads in Kuje rural communities, the council’s budget for this year will have 50 per cent concentration on the provision of feeder roads.

    This, he said, would afford the people the opportunity to enjoy the benefits of democracy.

    Tete, who made this known during the council’s monthly press briefing, said the council’s leadership knows the suffering of the people living in rural communities who cannot access the city centre because of lack of motorable roads. This may have informed his administration’s decision to concentrate on provision of access roads for the communities this year.

    According to the council boss, the mandate given to him by the people needs to be reciprocated through good and profitable governance, saying that there was need for him to prove to the people that they did not make mistakes for electing him.

    He promised to do his best to meet the immediate needs of the people by providing access roads, water and electricity which are necessities of life.

    His words: “I know what Kuje people, including those in my village, are going through in terms of access roads. My people are suffering because of lack of access roads. When we are preparing our council’s budget for this year, 50per cent of the budget was earmarked for provision of feeder roads.

    For example, from Kigbe to Kwaku community, it is not an issue of culvert; the entire road is bad and needs to be graded to make it accessible.

    “I want to grade from Kigbe to Takwa community, because the road has serious problem, a situation that has caused the people not to move around. After I finish grading, the people can freely move from one place to the other.

    Mind you, after grading the roads, there is need for asphalt and culvert. But if my administration expires before the roads are completed, the people will know that I was able to open the roads for them and somebody else will complete the project.

    “The most important thing is for us to start constructing the feeder roads in rural communities, because these people are suffering due to lack of roads. So, I am going to do my best in constructing feeder roads, just to alleviate the suffering of the people.

    “I have also awarded contract for the provision of water for the people. I am expecting the drilling machine. Very soon, about 300 communities in Kuje will have access to potable water.”

  • Residents protest frequent road accidents

    Residents of Dutse Baupuma and Makaranta communities in the Federal Capital Territory (FCT) have cried out over continuous accidents on the Dutse-Bwari expressway, noting that between December last year and January 15, this year, over 10 people have been killed at Dutse Bokuma Junction, a spot they have tagged death zone.

    Angered by the latest accident which occurred penultimate week when a popular businesswoman, Mrs. Lamidi Maimunat, alongside two others, were killed by a trailer, residents numbering over 200 stormed the highway in protest of what they termed government’s negligence of the area.

    The residents, who insisted that government should put in place measures to reduce frequent road accidents in the area, barricaded the road. This led to a heavy gridlock as vehicles on the Bwari Road were forced to either turn back or remain in the holdup that lasted for hours.

    An eye witness said: “A trailer coming from Bwari axis developed faulty break and swerved to the other side of the road. In the process, it killed Mrs. Lamidi and two others. Mrs. Lamidi was killed while on a bike that was to take her to Dutse Alhaji.

    “The trailer killed both the motorcycle operator and Mrs. Lamidi. The painful aspect of the accident is the manner in which the woman was killed. The heavy vehicle dragged her along for few kilometres before it finally stopped.

    “When some policemen arrived, they did not approach the matter in a civil manner. They just started spraying teargas at the protesters. One would have expected them to discuss the matter with them, instead of attacking them.”

    Speaking with the daughter of the diseased, Miss Nana Lamidi, she said she was short of words, adding that she could not believe that her mother was dead. She also said that her mother left them few minutes before they got the news of her death.

    “You can see that our house is not far from the road. So, you can imagine the distance. My mother cannot be replaced, as she was our backbone. How will I further my education now? How will my brothers and the rest of us further our education now that mum is gone?” she lamented.

    She appealed to government to assist her and her younger ones who currently have nobody to take care of them, saying “our mother was the breadwinner of the family. Now that she is gone, we have nobody.”

  • Neglected federal road puts Akwa Ibom residents in pains

    Neglected federal road puts Akwa Ibom residents in pains

    Six months after erosion damaged a federal road in Akwa Ibom, nothing concrete has been done to fix it, writes Kazeem Ibrahym, Uyo

    It is a Trunk A federal road linking Oron, Uyo, Ikot Ekpene and Aba to Lagos. The site, however, looks more now like a refuse dump, but it is part of the Oron road that was cut into two some six months ago in Akwa Ibom State, when gully erosion wreaked havoc last July.

    It was as if the state was gradually being cut off from the rest of the world. The gully submerged one residential building. While other houses around the area were lucky to survive the wind that accompanied the devastation, Emmanuel Edem’s house was not; his house was submerged.

    Edem said he had gone for his mother’s funeral when neighbours sent him a distress message.

    The residents of the area are sad that despite the magnitude of the incident, the Akwa Ibom State government has not put the road back to shape.

    As at the time Niger Delta Report visited, Oron road was still blocked from both ends with majority of the motorists passing other adjoining roads, such as the Stadium Road and others with inherent congestion and traffic snarl.

    Oron road is a Federal Trunk A road, but the thinking of many residents of the area is that the state government could as well intervene the same way it is doing on other federal roads in the state.

    One of the directors at the Ministry of Transport, who did not share in the sentiment of the people and preferred anonymity, said the people of Oron should be thankful to Governor Godswill Akpabio for the little efforts geared towards bringing the road back to normal.

    He explained that as a governor that shared in the feeling of the people, immediately the incident occurred, the state government drafted Stemco Construction Company handling road projects in the area to undertake preliminary intervention measures to stall further damage.

    His words: “What else do you want the government to do? The road is still under construction. It is not government that asked the people to be dumping refuse on the road. The road will be completed at the appropriate time because the government is even doing the people favour because the road is a federal road that links from Oron beach-Uyo-Ikot Ekpene-Aba-Lagos.”

    One of the residents of the area, Emmanuel Asuquo, expressed concerns that a road of that significance was being allowed to stay that long with nothing done by the government to remedy it.

    Asuquo faulted the excuse that because Oron road is a federal road, the people should be thankful to the government for the little efforts on the road. He said such reason would not be acceptable by the people of Oro since Oron road is not the only federal road in the state. He said the state government had intervened in a lot of federal roads and wondered why the same machinery was not used to fix Oron road.

    He said: “The people have come to develop this feeling that once it comes to the Oro axis nothing should be done well and it is unfortunate. The road upon being broken into two, there was a lot of cries both locally and internationally.

    “When we started seeing heavy trucks, we felt there was a positive response from the state government. That was the feeling of the people. We thought the road will be back to normal but that had not been the case.

    “For a community that thinks it should be closely knit and for that section of the community to feel sidelined, marginalised, neglected, it becomes very disturbing. Within the people, the anger is boiling and swelling.

    “You will start seeing the people portraying the government as against them. That road is a road the government should have done within one month and hand it over to the people. The road was not totally filled up. The hard core got to a certain level and they stopped. The people are now feeling that it is a general thing when it comes to Oro Nation. Once it is the Oro axis it needs not be completed and it is unfortunate.”

    Another resident of the area, Mike Okpo, said: “Over the years, Oron road has undergone a lot of deterioration and neglect. The traffic on that road had been quite heavy over the decades. It is quite unfortunate that in the recent times road like Oron road has been relegated to the back quarters.

    “We had expected that as Akwa Ibom is known to be buoyant that a prominent road like Oron road should have been one of the roads the state government would have given priority to.

    “With all fairness even if every other road is not looked into, a road of that prominent should not be allowed to cut off totally. It speaks something else. People outside the state who have been applauding us come to see that road some of them may think differently.”

    During an inspection tour to the collapsed road, the state Commissioner for Works, Don Etim, had sympathised with Edem whose building was washed away by the gully erosion.

    Etim, who spoke through the Head of Civil Engineering Directorate, Effiong Effiakedoho, explained that ravine encroachment was natural but could be aided by human activities.

    He noted that the case in Oron was a direct result of silting of drains, adding that the protection of environment is a direct responsibility of every member of the public.

    The commissioner appealed to Stemco Construction Company handling projects to take up immediate preliminary intervention.

     

     

  • ‘43 died in A/Ibom road crashes in 2013’

    The Federal Road Safety Corps (FRSC) has said it recorded 43 deaths and 100 road traffic crashes in Akwa Ibom in 2013.

    The Uyo Sector Commander of the corps, Mr Ocheja Ameh, said this in an interview with the News Agency of Nigeria (NAN) in Uyo.

    Ameh explained that those who died in the crashes were 32 male, 10 female and one child.

    The sector commander said there was a decrease in the number of deaths recorded in 2013 as against 50 deaths recorded in 2012.

    He also said there was a reduction in the number of road crashes in the state in the year under review, pointing out that 131 road crashes occurred in the state in 2012.

    He attributed the reduction to rigorous sensitisation campaigns carried out by the command, especially in the last quarter of 2013.

    “As a matter of fact, in 2013 we recorded 100 road traffic crashes in Akwa Ibom State as against 131 that we had in 2012. Out of the number of crashes during the year, 31 were fatal; but in the previous year, we recorded 35 fatal crashes. We have put a lot of measures in place to reduce road crashes in the state.’’

    Ameh said the dominant causes of road crashes in the state were speed limit violations and dangerous driving.

    He, however, said the command had seriously campaigned against speed limit violations and dangerous driving in the state to reduce crashes this year.

    He added that the command would organise other programmes in 2014 to drastically reduce the number of road crashes in the state.

    He said: “we have been educating the public on the need to install speed limit devices in all commercial vehicles in the state.”

    Ameh told NAN that all stakeholders in the transport sector in Akwa Ibom had signed an agreement that there would be strict enforcement of the speed limit device installation.

    “We have started discussion with Akwa Ibom Transport Company (AKTC), a major transporter in the state, and the company has started installing the devices in its vehicles,” he said.

    He added that the corps would enter into similar agreements with other transport companies in the state.

  • Road accidents drop in Ogun

    Road accidents drop in Ogun

    The situation in Ogun State was not too different. Even though there were cases of road accidents, ERNEST NWOKOLO reports that the FRSC did a good job in bringing down the number of such accidents

    Quite a good number of people entertain one form of fear or the other while travelling on Nigerian roads, particularly in the month of December. They dread the frequent cases of accidents on major and minor roads across the states of the federation, the attendant deaths and injuries.

    Their worry, sometimes irrational, may not be unrelated to the deplorable state of the roads, poor vehicle maintenance or recklessness of some motorists and other road users.

    Often, many believe there are malevolent hands or blood sucking demons lurking by the roadside and waiting to instigate road traffic crashes for purpose of collecting victims’ blood for drinking.

    In Ogun state, last December 23,  three persons were killed and 18 others, including seven children, critically injured in an accident that occurred at Obada- Oko stretch of the Lagos – Abeokuta expressway, Abeokuta following burst of tyre. The accident which happened Monday night involved a Toyota Hiace passenger bus marked LAGOS FKJ 07 AS.

    It was learnt that the occupants of the grey coloured Toyota bus were members of the Celestial Church who were going for their annual prayer congress at Celestial town of Imeko in Imeko/Afon local government area of the state.

    The Itori Unit Commander of the Federal Road Safety Corps (FRSC), Fatai Bakare, who confirmed the accident, said 21 persons comprising of four males, 10 females and seven children were on board as at the time the crash occurred.

    It was learnt that the driver was on high speed when the tyre of the vehicle burst, he lost control of the wheel and the vehicle somersaulted, resulting in the death of three of the occupants.

    This and some other road traffic crashes occurred in various locations in Ogun State during the month of December, 2013.

    The Nation gathered from unofficial sources that over a dozen of persons were killed in the month of December in an equally over 25 cases of traffic accidents said to have occurred in the state.

    Although, the State Commander of the Federal Road Safety Corps (FRSC), Mr Adegoke Adetunji, did not give data but he said the Command was able to reduce road accidents and the attendant challenges last month because of the road safety measure put in place and implemented during that period.

    According to Adetunji, the state witnessed less traffic accidents in the month of December, 2013 compared to that of the previous years.

    He explained that part of the measures deployed to check traffic accidents during the period was the use of mobile courts in various unit Commands of the Corps within the state to try offenders who engaged in conducts that could have led to carnage on the roads.

    In Sagamu for example, 32 offenders were arraigned before a mobile court there for various offences ranging from failure to use seatbelt to using phone while driving.

    While five of the offenders were discharged, acquitted and cautioned 27 others were penalised.

    Adetunji said: “From December 13, 2013 to last day of December, we carried out operation zero tolerance to road crashes. We embarked on motorised patrol operation, we extended our patrol period from 6am to 8pm in the evening. We also put on standby, as usual, what we called rescue team.

    “While those on patrol go to bed, we also have the standby patrol team who were  always ready to move in at anytime for any emergency call.

    We did Mobile Court enforcement in our commands in Ogun State where many offenders were penalised while some were discharged.

    “We also embarked on aggressive public enlightenment. We went to churches, mosques, garages not only to the drivers but also to the passengers, to let them know that they should not leave their safety in the hands of drivers alone because for any vehicle, you have one driver to about 14 passengers, one family to about 14 families if any driver is misbehaving on the road, they should diplomatically caution him but if you try to caution him aggressively, it could lead to another thing.

    “We also carried out pre – trip inspection, we go to garages and check all the loaded vehicles before proceeding for the planned journey. How good are those vehicles, and you could see some of the vehicles, their tyres are bad some have mechanical deficiencies and we called the parks managers and let them know that such vehicles were  not fit to embark on the journey.

    “We advised and insisted that the vehicle be changed for the passengers and they did oblige us because a vehicle that is in improper shape is crash – prone.  We did ‘beyond the road’ exercise where we go to garages along with our medical personnel to check the drivers and to know their blood pressure (BP) status and sugar level.

    “Most of them do not go for medical checkup and you would be surprised that most of them had high BPs. If you are hypertensive and drive, anything can happen. Any slight shock, the effect would tell on you as a high BP person.

    “Our medics checked them and referred them to the appropriate hospital to get medications, those that have high sugar level in their blood were also referred to the appropriate place. All these were done to ensure that the health of the drivers is in good shape.

    “As we advise them to manage their health well, we also advise that they take care of their vehicles. If you are tired, rest and if you are weak to embark upon a trip, let another person go. These were the things we put in place to reduce road traffic crashes in the state. And to some extent, we had crashless period in December during the yuletide.”