Generally roads and highways are indispensable in the life of human beings. In fact, life is meaningless without roads. This is because roads help in connecting different cities and towns and even villages. Roads serve a very important arteries and means for vehicles and people to travel from one place to another by vehicles, trucks and motor cycles among others. Roads provide a convenient and fast mode of transportation to connect remote and rural areas. It also helps to link producers to markets, workers to offices , students to schools even the sick to hospitals; thus making it to be a vital means of transportation and development in general .
In Nigeria and other countries, roads are classified into several categories such as expressway, high ways, local roads and street; each with its own specific characteristics and purposes. The classification, it was gathered helps in planning and managing the transportation networks efficiently.
Here again in Nigeria, there are two broad based divisions — Federal and state roads. Unfortunately in most states, including Delta State, the bad roads mostly belonged to Federal Government and they have been identified as one of the factors causing accidents on our roads and highways.
Speaking when he received the Sector Commander of the Federal Road Safety Corps (FRSC) , during a courtesy call on his office, the Delta State Commissioner for Information, Dr. Ifeanyi Osuoza lamented the bad state of roads in the country, a situation he said was a major factor in road crashes.
Dr Osuoza, who stressed that Governor Sheriff Oborevwori of Delta State was concerned about the terrible state of roads, especially the federal roads, he urged the sector Commander to furnish the state government with locations of bad roads that are accident prone across the state.
Explaining further, the Commissioner for Works (Rural and Riverine roads), Mr. Charles Aniagwu said that the state government had been helping out to construct and rehabilitate federal roads in the state,saying that government was intervening on several federal roads to enable Deltans and other Nigerians to have access good roads to convey goods and services.
He said this during an inspection of the ongoing rehabilitation and construction of the Old Abraka –Eku road at Abraka in Ethiope East Local Government Area of the state.
Aniagwu, who frowned at the state of federal roads in the State, said that Governor Sheriff was determined to complete the road as an alternative to the failed Umutu –Eku road.
What a patriotic duty laudable duty, can one say of the Oborevwori administration in the state.
Available statistics revealed that apart from diseases, the next cause of death in Africa is vehicular accidents. Â A 2021 Research, published in the Asian Journal of Advanced Research and Report, found that Nigerians are characterized by potholes, gallops, slippery bumps, untarred roads, bushes, mud, stones and gravel which cause road accident almost on daily basis.
The research concludes that Nigerian roads are nothing but highways leading to death, adding that poor road conditions such as potholes, lack of proper sewage system and uneven surfaces can definitely contribute to road accidents. This is because those conditions can make it difficult for drivers to maintain control of their vehicles leading to potentially dangerous situations on the roads
Worst still, the impact of bad roads is said to be more than accidents ,According to the report, daily commuters navigating the roads often suffer from back pain and spinal issues due to constant jolting and vibrations.
Speaking on roads and highways, a contractor with private firm, Engr. Samuel Ebuka said that it is lamentable that only very few road network in Nigeria is considered motorable. According to him, Federal Government has control of major road networks more than the states in this country. Yet the Federal Government cannot maintain federal roads and always waiting the states to help them out in the maintenance of the roads.
Engr. Ebuka recalled the establishment of the Federal Road Maintenance Agency (FERMA),  an interventionist agency by the Federal Government created to help out in the rehabilitation of some federal road across the country. He said that FERMA is a laudable programme which ought to have saved the Federal Government some money and embarrassment but noted that it was grossly abused.  FERMA “is good but like other government policies and programmes, it failed and wondered why good policies succeed in other countries and fail in Nigeria. “
He lamented that most of the federal roads have collapsed and others collapsing fast due to non -maintenance in spite of the huge budget by the government on yearly basis, saying I pity this country of ours.
One thing that baffles Nigerians and non -Nigerians alike, is the issue of non-maintenance of federal roads by agencies responsible for such repairs despite having the capability and financial might of the Federal Government. According to him; “what are those in the Federal Ministry of Works ,who are paid every month doing,  attributing the situation to lack of political will to do certain things and noted that now they are hopeless and helpless, the nation and is citizens are worse for it.
He said that there was the need for the Federal Government to wake up from its slumber as far as roads are concerned in the country because, according to him, without the roads, there would be no development and poverty will continue to reign supreme , saying where are the benefits of democracy if people cannot move around freely and conveniently by roads “.
