N1.4trn spent on failed roads in 13 years —Reps

The House of Representatives Committee on Works on Monday raised the alarm over the bad state of Nigerian roads, despite over N1.414 trillion appropriated by the National Assembly for the road sector from 1999-2012.
The Speaker, Honourable Aminu Tambuwal equally disclosed that Nigeria was losing N80 billion annually as a result of bad roads across the country.
This is coming just as Minister of Works, Mr Mike Onolememen disclosed that only about 30 per cent of the Federal road network was in good condition, maintaining that the remaining 70 per cent was in dire need of maintenance, rehabilitation , reconstruction and expansion.
The Minister, however, said that the bad state of Nigerian roads was partly as a result of “lopsided planning and poor design, frequent failure and abandonment of road projects and funding constraints.”
This came to fore at the opening session of House Committee on Works’ 4-day public hearing on the urgent need to address the near total collapse of federal roads across the country.
Honourable Tambuwal who was represented by the Minority Whip, Honourable Samson Osagie at the event said that statistics showed that Nigeria has the second highest road traffic accident fatalities among 193 countries in the world and called for holistic approach in addressing the road challenges.
In his address, the Chairman, House Committee on Works, Honourable Ogbuefi Ozomgbachi said, “the truth must be told, the condition of our roads is alarming and statistics attest to that. Between 1999 and 2012, the National Assembly had appropriated about N1.414 trillion for the road sector.
“And yet out of about 34,400km of Federal road network, only about 35 per cent is paved and substantial percentage of it in varying degree of distress and or pot-holes
“In a country of about 160 million people with an approximate land area of 910,768 square kilometres in which over 90% of the passengers and freight ‘ movement are done by road due to almost non-functional water-ways and rail transportation, the situation assumes even a status of national emergency,” he said.
According to him, “the debilitating effects on the national economic growth and loss of lives and properties arising from road accidents, armed banditry arising from the poor state of our road network evokes a sense of national outrage and mourning. The Federal Road Safety Commission statistics for Accidents in the First Half of 2012 puts the figure at 1,936 fatalities and substantial part of it attributable to the poor state of our roads.
“If today, Nigeria has not developed the technology to build a roadway to the moon, we certainly have the resources and technology to deliver good road network to our people. Yes Nigeria can do it. South Africa has done it, India has achieved it. Turkey and Saudi Arabia showcase it. Yes, Nigeria shall do it,” he stated.