21 hours ago
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The Federal Road Maintenance Agency (FERMA), has embarked on road rehabilitation projects to ease movement of goods and services in Bauchi, Gombe and Jigawa.
The gesture is sequel to public outcry over bad conditions of the highways and inter-state roads which exposed motoring public to transportation difficulties and traffic crashes.
Stakeholders in the sector, including transporters, passengers and goverment officials, who spoke in Bauchi, Dutse and Gombe, said the projects would ensure safe and free traffic flow, especially during the Yuletide. Mr Mohammed Abdullahi, Chairman, Road Transport Employees Association of Nigeria (RTEAN) in Bauchi State, said that commuters were bracing for the usual travel woes due to poor state of the roads.
He said that bad condition of the roads caused nightmares to commuters resulting to the spike in accidents, breakdown of vehicles and gridlock, especially during the festive seasons.
“With the Yuletide season, which is the peak period for trips, urgent intervention to fix the roads is necessary to ensure safety on the road,” he said.
Haruna Yaya, a cab operator, said the bad state of the roads caused heavy drain in his pockets, to service and repair his vehicle.Also, Kallamu Swa, a motorist in Gombe, called for urgent repairs on Dukku-Nafada road, to ease the challenges facing motorists while plying the route.
Swa, however, said the roads in Gombe State were better than those in other states, and commended the state government for prioritising road infrastructure.
Corroborating Swa, Yusuf Usman, a motorist in Dutse, expressed joy over the good road networks in Jigawa, adding that the feat enhanced transportation services in the state.
“Although Jigawa has a good road network, the roads linking to the neighbouring states are somewhat difficult.
“There are a lot of potholes on Dutse-Kano highway, as well as between Bauchi and Jigawa from Birnin Kudu axis in spite of efforts by the FERMA, the roads still need attention,” he said.
To address the problem, Nanpan Joroh, a road maintenance engineer, FERMA, said the agency had initiated a viable road rehabilitation scheme tagged: ‘Operation connect to your destination during the Yuletide”.
He said the programme was designed to fix bad roads to enhance transportation, as well as protect lives and properties.
“You will soon see major contractors on these major roads, especially on the Bauchi-Jos road, Bauchi-Kari road along Yobe state border and Bauchi-Tafawa Balewa road,” he said.
Similarly, Yusuf Nabahani, the Federal Controller of Works in Jigawa, said the ministry would fix potholes on Kiyawa and Shuwarin axis, Section II, Kano-Maiduguri expressway.
He said the ministry also constructed drains at Danmasara area, along Kwanar Huguma-Shuwarin highway, to prevent further damage to the roads.So far, this is what we have done and for travellers, I assure you that all our roads are in good condition and motorable,” he said.
On his part, Usman Kallamu, the Gombe Commissioner for Works, Housing and Transportation, said the state government accorded pririoty to road infrastructure development.
He said that a number of roads were under construction, stressing that, “road network in Gombe State is relatively good and of high standards.
“The governor’s current 100-kilometre road project spans 11 local government areas, which reached about 70 per cent completion stage”. (NAN)
