Blame Game Continues as Fashola Flays Past Governments for Poor State of Roads in Nigeria

Blame Game Continues as Fashola Flays Past Governments for Poor State of Roads in Nigeria

Minister of Works Power and Housing, Mr Babatunde Fashola, has blamed the present bad state of the nation’s federal highways on neglect by past administrations in the country.

Fashola said in Minna, Niger State, today that previous governments had enough resources to fix the roads but for reasons best known to them, they did not carry out the repairs of these roads.

Exchanging views with journalists after a courtesy visit on the Niger State Governor, Alhaji Abubakar Sani Bello, Fashola, who was the former Lagos State Governor, regretted that the economy of the country had nosedived to the extent that it would be a herculean task for the present administration to attend to the several kilometres of roads begging for attention.

The minister who was said to have traveled from Ilorin to Minna to experience the bad portion of the road especially the Jebba to Ilorin axis and arrived in Minna at about 10.00p.m. partly because of the nature of the road, promised that the federal government would fix and maintain the road in the interest of all Nigerians.

“Years back, the country had a lot of money that would have been used to develop the country but our leaders failed to do so.

“It just tells you the situation this administration has inherited the country, and what we failed to do at the time when the nation had money when a barrel of crude oil was sold for over $100. Now we have to do a lot more with less money.”

Asking the people for patience, Fashola said despite the dwindling resources of the country, the administration would not go back on its campaign promises to make life better for the average Nigerian.

On the issue of tolling the highways, the former governor said there was no going back on the policy as it was the only way to ensure the regular maintenance of these roads.

According to him, once the roads were repaired and tolled, the number of hours spent on these highways would be reduced as well as the properties lost would also drastically reduce.

The minister was also at the Shiroro Hydro electric dam project to see the level of performance of the plant.

However, the Niger State Governor, Bello, had pleaded with the government to fix all the federal roads in the state which he said had become death traps.