NATURALLY, the dry season has set in fully across the country since the dawn of the month of November, a transition from October, which witnessed moments of heavy rains especially in the southern parts. This is particularly true of Delta State where economic and social activities are generating greater momentum, the tough economic conditions regardless.
Erstwhile stretches of “lakes and craters” covering portions of dilapidated federal and state roads have dried up, exposing the extent of damage to the infrastructure during the wet season. While the rains lasted, only a few contractors stayed at their sites to work. Many of them simply vanished after collecting mobilization. The dry season has now set in and it is time for all contractors to return immediately to site.
Badly damaged portions on the Asaba-Benin expressway, Benin-Sapele-Warri expressway and Agbor-Umutu-Eku-Warri federal road bear sad tales of the dysfunctional state of the roads. Spots like the Ubulu-Okiti portion and the Asaba/Niger Bridge stretch of the expressway, among others, are the most dangerous and require urgent intervention by the Federal Government.
Various state roads interconnecting communities are at different stages of dilapidation too, impeding vehicular movement on them. A clear example is the Umutu-Umunede state road, portions of which are pleading for urgent action. Some new projects like the Obidinma Okonne Street, Okpanam Road, Asaba that was started in January 2024 was abandoned by the contractor in the first week of February after excavation and culvert work had been done, thereby turning the road into a huge body of water and rendering the road impassable during the rainy season.
As in previous editorials on road infrastructure, we had tried to itemize causes of road failure. The most important of the variables is poor project execution on the part of the contractors. Secondly, usage of the roads by heavy-duty trucks subject the roads to ceaseless wears and tears, which soon lead to extensive damage. There is also the challenge of road maintenance at both federal and state levels, among other factors.
It’s a known fact that good motorable roads contribute significantly to the economic and social life of citizens. They facilitate quick and smooth movement of motorists and goods; ensure the safety of vehicles and road users; minimize the frequency of vehicle repairs; minimize road accidents, some of which are caused by bad roads; and promote socioeconomic development of the society, among other roles. Over the decades, we have witnessed the emergence of new communities and ventures on account of the development of roads.
It’s on the basis of the foregoing that we urge contractors doing the various road projects in Delta State to return to site without any further delay. We implore the federal and state authorities to intervene urgently to ensure the contractors are back to their various sites. It is interesting to note that some local government councils in the state have stepped in to fix dilapidated roads in their domains. By the time all 25 council areas embark on this noble agenda, the state would have been better repositioned.
Moreover, we urge statutory agencies like the Federal Road Maintenance Agency (FERMA), a federal organ, and the state-owned Direct Labour Agency (DLA) to swing into action to effect rehabilitation of roads within their sphere. These agencies should be mobilized now to commence work on damaged portions and stretches of our roads.
Local communities through which the highways criss-cross, in our view, have roles to play in the construction and repair of the roads. Traditional rulers and the executives of community development associations should be part of the monitoring mechanism of such projects, and report defects to the appropriate government authorities for further action.
Indeed, it’s heartwarming to note that the Delta State Government has zero-tolerance for shoddy jobs. Through his recent working tours of the state to project sites, Governor Sherriff Oborevwori gave practical expression to the policy maxim. At a particular project site, he was able to uncover a shoddy job being done by a contractor. While we laud the Governor’s positive attitude to project execution, we implore him to order all contractors involved in road construction and rehabilitation to return to site immediately with the onset of the dry season.
