Carnage on federal roads raises concern over delayed projects

The current administration has pledged to complete all ongoing road projects across the country, but 16  months later, the rate of progress appears slow with federal roads still reeking of more potholes, causing untimely deaths of many, DAMILOLA AINA reports

The current administration inherited several uncompleted road projects. Despite the initial mix of messages regarding its priorities, the administration has consistently maintained its stance to complete all ongoing projects before awarding new contracts.

However, 16 months later, opinions are divided on whether the current administration is serious about its pledge to fast-track the completion of delayed road projects.

Some stakeholders have argued that the Minister of Works, Mr David Umahi, an engineer, had made significant progress in advancing a substantial portion of those inherited projects, showcasing a commitment to improving infrastructure.

Others with a different view claimed that his approach had led to more delays. They argued that his method had been more draconian, highlighting instances where he had threatened revocation of road contracts, which they believed had hindered progress and led to frustration among contractors and constituents.

However, differing opinions arise as the National Human Rights Commission claims that in September 2024, fatalities from road accidents in Nigeria exceeded those caused by gunmen attacks.

Umahi, upon assumption of office, had stated that he inherited 18,932km of 2,600 uncompleted road projects, but that figure had been reduced to 2,270 projects following the completion of 330 emergency projects after an appropriation of N300bn by the Federal Government.

“Let me announce that the 330 emergency repairs of roads and bridges across the country, valued at over N500bn, are about 80 per cent completed and the Ministry of Finance has fully released N300bn for the projects and we are going to publish by next week the full details and the level of completion,” he said to State House correspondents after the Federal Executive Council meeting on June 26, without providing details to back up the claim.

The funding, different from a war chest of N837bn approved for the rehabilitation and construction of 2,254 roads and bridges in the 2023 and 2024 fiscal years, has not elevated the overall road experience for users.

Federal roads cutting across the south-south and southeast region from Edo, Delta, and other states have remained in a deplorable state. For instance, roads that pass through Imo State have been in bad shape for decades. Some of the most difficult ones to access are the Ideato-Orlu-Owerri Road, the Owerri-Okigwe, Owerri-Mbaise-Umuahia, and the Owerri-Onitsha roads.

In Abia State, the Umuahia-Owerri, Umuahia-Ohafia and Umuahia-Ikot Ekpene highways are in very deplorable conditions.

Although appreciable work has been done on the Aba section of the Enugu-Port Harcourt Expressway, the Aba to Port Harcourt section remains a death trap.

In Cross River State, it is a tale of woes for travellers on the Calabar-Itu Federal Highway.

The East-West Road, which runs across the entire South-South region, from Edo through Delta, Bayelsa, Rivers, and Akwa Ibom and terminates at Cross River, is a nightmare. Most parts of the road are impassable and have been so for many years under successive governments.

Although work is ongoing on this project, Umahi stated last week at a gathering with the elders of Ogoni land that it would be completed by June 2025, marking yet another instance of unfulfilled promises over the years.

In the North-Central zone, the Abuja-Kaduna-Kano Expressway has been a subject of dispute between the ministry and the contractor, Julius Berger Nigeria.

Umahi recently threatened to cancel Berger’s N740bn portion of the Abuja-Kaduna Highway contract, citing the company’s consistent raising of the contract value from the negotiated amount of N740bn to N903bn at the last instance.

This is coming almost six years after the government awarded the contract for the reconstruction of the highway.

It also faces similar challenges on the 34-kilometre Bodo-Bonny project, with the contractor demanding price variations to cope with rising prices of construction materials.

The road initially awarded in 2014 for N120bn has been increased to N280bn, a 133 per cent upward review in 10 years.

In the South-West region, the 65-kilometre Oyo-Ogbomosho Highway is currently in a state of disrepair.

Several stakeholders, including the Nigerian Association of Road Transport Owners, had called for the immediate repair of the connecting road between North and South.

Last Saturday, youths, including students in Ogbomoso, Oyo State, protested the poor condition of the Ogbomoso axis of the Oyo-Ogbomosho Highway, driven by the tragic loss of lives from frequent accidents.

The demonstrators condemned the deaths resulting from the dilapidated road, labelling the losses as a product of negligence, which they described as “murder”.

The students, under the National Association of University Students and Ogbomoso Indigenous Associations, issued a 30-day ultimatum to the Federal and Oyo State Governments to address their grievances.

The youths warned that failure to meet their demands would lead to mass demonstrations and economic shutdowns.

The ministry was yet to respond to their demands.

The House of Representatives also lamented the plethora of unfinished projects that negatively impact the quality of life for Nigerians, causing significant disruptions.

Meanwhile, the rehabilitation of the Third Mainland Bridge earned the administration some applause after several interventions by the last administration did not produce much tangible results.

Weeks ago, the contractor handling the 200 km Keffi-Akwanga-Lafia-Makurdi highway, China Harbour Engineering Company, completed the dualisation project. The road was awarded by the Buhari administration.

Also, some major road projects awarded by previous administrations in the Nigerian capital, Abuja, have been completed and inaugurated.

Also, the construction of the 700-kilometre Lagos-Calabar Coastal Highway project is one of the most ambitious projects this government is embarking on. The project, estimated to cost N15tn, will transverse eight states, opening up more areas for trade and investments.

Although there are question marks on the procurement process, lack of transparency, and alleged violation of several laws.

Additionally, the demolition of certain structures in the right of way raises questions about the project’s priority.

Amid the controversy, the administration is planning another 1,000km road from Badagry to Sokoto State, another signature project.

Furthermore, the minister has performed excellently in implementing emergency measures to address areas, such as the Kano-Maiduguri Highway and Sagamu-Benin Expressway, severely affected by flooding.

Assessing the activities of the minister based on the number of completed projects, experts including contractors said the minister had not achieved the barest minimum.

They noted that the financial war chest approved for road construction could have achieved more if effectively utilised.

They also noted that his leadership style had frustrated contractors, particularly by numerous threats to revoke contracts.

In an interview with The PUNCH, an official of the Association of Road Contractors claimed that the minister had compounded the current situation in the sector.

The contractor, who spoke on condition of anonymity for fear of being blacklisted, challenged the minister to showcase the kilometres of road projects completed since he assumed office.

He claimed that most of the projects had become moribund due to rising inflation.

He stated, “You should ask the minister how many kilometres of road he has done since he assumed office. If he says they are completing the roads, he should show us the roads. Instead of solving problems, he is compounding them, to the best of my knowledge.

“Ask him about the projects inherited and how many have been completed. Most of the projects are moribund because of the cost of inflation. So, how many of them have been genuinely resuscitated through proper augmentation and re-scoping?

 “We have written letters to the minister but not responses.  Just drive around the country and check how many contractors you are seeing on-site.’’

According to news reports, the minister has threatened to revoke six contracts, infuriating contractors and their allies.

Some contractors believed the new policies of the government were directly responsible for the delayed projects.

Our correspondent could not independently verify this, however.

But the poor state of the country’s roads, frequent road accidents, deaths and high cost of transportation of goods and services have left many Nigerians lamenting.

Commenting, the National Chairman of Nigerian Institutions of Highway and Transportation Engineers, Saidu Hassan, said the minister had not delivered the promise made to Nigerians when he assumed office.

According to Hassan, funding has been a crucial factor in the completion of these projects.

In an interview on Friday, he remarked that the minister’s policy strategy to revoke contracts had affected the completion of the 2,600 road projects.

He said, “The minister assumed office and made a statement that he inherited over 2,000 projects and promised to complete them. Basically, the ability to resolve this need has to do with funding. At the moment, the minister mentioned it, was there funding to complete them?

“The issue of completion or non-completion has to do with funding. Does the ministry have the requisite funding? And the minister has not said he received all the funding needed to complete the projects.

“I think he has made that statement, but we are still waiting to see the delivery of those statements.  They are still being expected, but he hasn’t delivered yet.”

 According to Hassan, if you remove one contract and return it to another person, that process takes between six months and one year.

“Maybe the minister should not have made that statement because, as he has mentioned, he has not delivered it,” he noted.

When informed of some projects completed by the administration, the highway engineer said the number was too small compared to total projects.

“The Third Mainland Bridge, or Lagos-Ibadan, is just one of the over 2,000 projects; what is the percentage of the total project? I hope you can see the difference.

“And this is why some people say instead of building the coastal road or the Sokoto highway, they should divert the trillions spent to complete all ongoing projects,” he declared.

He also suggested that the government should prioritise road projects instead of spending trillions of naira on constructing the Lagos-Calabar Coastal Road or the Sokoto-Badagry Highway.

“Completing those projects would provide relief for Nigerians and they should be prioritised instead of spending trillions on just one section.

“Another solution is to allow the private sector to come into road construction just like other sectors so that the government would have options to choose from.”

However, a former Chairman of the Nigerian Society of Engineers, Apapa Branch, Babatunde Awode, said the minister had recorded an impressive level of success due to his lofty ideas to improve road infrastructure and connectivity.

Awode, in a telephone interview, advised the minister to ensure fast completion of projects as engineering had gone global and delays were inimical.

He said, “I think the minister is trying his bits. He has lofty plans to get major roads in the country motorable, and we expect that much will be done, especially on the Lagos-Ibadan Expressway.

“They have not been impressed with what the contractor is doing on the Long Bridge because a road of that magnitude should have a diversionary plan and ensure that it gets completed on time. You can’t build a major road and expect that people will stay at home till you are done.

“They should have done an environmental impact assessment to make the construction smooth on that road. The minister was here to look at the situation because engineering has gone global and you don’t have to spend donkey years to build roads.

“By and large, the minister has a good plan to ensure that all roads are done very well. There should be no delays if the contractors are paid promptly. There should be a mileage on how these projects are completed, but contractors have not mentioned that the government owes them.”

Attempts to obtain comments from Orji Uchenna, the Special Adviser to the Minister, between October 22 and 25 were unsuccessful. He provided various reasons for being unable to answer questions regarding the minister’s achievements after 16 months in office.

While it is evident that the works minister has made some achievements in various areas, many stakeholders believed that the drawbacks outweigh the benefits.