As 2024 rounds up and the yuletide around the corner, motorists in Kano, Kaduna and Katsina States have deplored the poor state of road infrastructure in the states.
Motorists, commuters and an array of stakeholders bore their minds, saying
the dilapidated state of most of the roads in the states was hugely responsible for the recurring road traffic crashes, often resulting in the massive losses of lives and property.
According to them, the obnoxious spike in the number of these usually fatal crashes could be drastically curbed if the roads are improved upon.
In Kano State, motorists and commuters pointed to the Gwarzo-Katsina, Kano-Maiduguri, and some sections of the Kano-Zaria highways, as well as several major township roads and said they face difficulties passing through them.
They bemoaned how what should be short trips now take considerably longer time to cover, citing the increasing difficulty in navigating the city’s streets due to potholes and lack of proper maintenance.
A driver, Isa Musa, decried that the situation had contributed to accidents and inefficiency in travels, adding that local roads, including those in Dakata, Kurna, Kumbotso, Mariri, and Unguwa Uku were particularly problematic.
Another motorist, Adamu Aminu, said that lack of adequate funding, corruption and mismanagement were also identified as the contributing factors to the bad state of the roads.
He called for increased investment on roads and other infrastructure in the state and the country as a whole.
A commuter and legal practitioner , Abdullahi Sani, urged the government to fix the roads through Public-Private Partnerships (PPP).
Sani, who lamented the state of some state and federal roads, called for robust funding for road maintenance, improved management and decentralisation to local governments for better infrastructure upkeep.
Another driver, Baba Aliyu, said the roads have become a yearly battle during the rainy season, adding that their effort was no longer enough to solve the challenges.
A staff member of the Kano Road Maintenance Agency (KARMA), who pleaded anonymity, said the state government had invested significant resources in the repair of township roads and interventions on federal roads.
He revealed that the agency had rehabilitated over 50 roads and cleared drainages across the metropolis.
The roads that had been rehabilitated included; Aminu Kano Way, Lodge Road, Tarauni Road, Airport Road, and the Kano Government House Road, among others.
The Federal Government recently launched “Operation Free Our Roads.”
The project is a joint initiative between the Federal Ministry of Works and the Federal Roads Maintenance Agency (FERMA) as part of the government’s efforts to prioritise citizens’ needs by improving road infrastructure.
Projects carried out under the various interventions included potholes’ patching, pavement strengthening, repairs of failed sections, limited rehabilitation, bridge and culvert construction, and general maintenance.
In Kaduna State, Ibrahim Hamza, a resident of Karmin Mashi, in Kaduna south LGA, said although the township roads were being rehabilitated, equall attention should be accorded to rural areas.
“Our farmers in some of the local government areas in Kaduna State face serious challenges in transporting farm produce to the city due to the bad state of the roads,” he decried.
Mr Suleiman Bature, Kaduna State Secretary of the National Union of Road Transport Workers (NURTW), said there were ongoing efforts by the government to make the roads better.
He, however, lamented, “The slow pace of work made it difficult for the motorists to operate.
“One would not say the governments are completely negligent but they have to wake up from their slumber.
“Before now, there used to be routine maintenance works especially after the rainy season due to potholes that emerge on the roads but now we don’t even know what is happening with FERMA.
“You should know that we have articulated vehicles that carry heavy loads and ply these roads.
“It is therefore expected that at least, FERMA should carry out maintenance works every six months but that is not the case.”
