Senate committee on works decries bad state of roads

The committee noted that in the course of carrying out the inspection, 30 highly dilapidated roads across the country were identified and seven were in the South West. The chairman of the Committee, Mr Julius Ucha, who led the delegation to pay a courtesy call on the State Governor, Mr. Babatunde Fashola, said the visit […]

The committee noted that in the course of carrying out the inspection, 30 highly dilapidated roads across the country were identified and seven were in the South West.

The chairman of the Committee, Mr Julius Ucha, who led the delegation to pay a courtesy call on the State Governor, Mr. Babatunde Fashola, said the visit was to ensure that projects earmarked in the budget were executed in accordance with the provision in the budget.

Ucha explained that the exercise which is an annual ritual was a constitutional act to ensure that the executives are motivated to do what they are supposed to do with the implementation of the budget, which is an Act of Parliament.

According to him, “The senate committee on works takes this responsibility very seriously. We just covered the South East of the country where we met with some contractors on sites. And while some were effective, others lacked the equipment to carry out the projects effectively.”

In his response, the Lagos State Governor Mr. Babatunde Fashola, who recognized the importance of the oversight functions of the legislature, tasked the Federal Government to as a matter of urgent concern carry out immediate rehabilitation of Marina shoreline protection.

The governor also decried the danger of relying on one major contractor to carry out projects, saying more Nigerians abroad should be encouraged to come home and invest in capital projects.

According to him, “Nigerians need to bring back their capital and be actively involved in the execution of capital projects. There should be more Nigerian construction companies.”

Fashola counseled the legislative arm of government to seek the input of governors in regions where they intend to carry out projects.

“We deal with the urban and municipal problem of the people and as such know exactly areas that require immediate attention.” he added.