FRUSTRATED by the deplorable state of major highways in the country, members of the Tanker Drivers Union (TDU) in Cross River State embarked on strike the other day, to draw attention to the suffering of their members as a result of dilapidated roads. The strike is legitimate if only to buttress the wide lamentation by Nigerians over the terrible condition of roads nationwide. Nigerian roads have been classified as probably the worst in the world and members of the public go through hell daily on the roads commuting to and from work. In the process, many meet untimely death through accidents and stress. The condition of roads in the country is clearly another evidence of government failure.That the entire road infrastructure in the country has collapsed due to neglect and corruption is glaring. The three tiers of government have abdicated their responsibility and are wholly guilty. Motorists routinely go through great suffering, spending hours for journeys that should take minutes. With erosion washing away sections of roads that were built many decades ago, what is left is bare earth, with potholes and craters that endanger road users, especially, during the rainy season when flood compounds the problem. Traffic gridlock is a daily phenomenon on these bad roads, with the resultant loss of precious man-hours in traffic, truncation of business and physiological trauma.Figures released by the Federal Roads Safety Corps (FRSC) show that road carnage has overtaken AIDS and malaria as the primary cause of death in Nigeria.What is more worrisome is that government appears overwhelmed by the magnitude of the infrastructural decay. The Public-Private-Partnership (PPP) option that has been canvassed seems not to be working, as the Lagos-Ibadan highway contract awarded to Bi- Courtney since 2009, for instance, is yet to record any meaningful change.Lamenting as Finance Minister, Ngozi Okonjo-Iweala did the other day when she said government needs a whopping N10.63 trillion for infrastructure, is not helpful. Government should take charge of the problem and present Nigerians with the solution through implementation of budgets earmarked for roads, and effective monitoring and supervision of the projects. What happens to budgets that are made for the roads and other infrastructure on yearly basis' Was the money judiciously spent' Did government punish anyone for abdication of duty or for breach of contract' Government should start from somewhere, break down the work into phases and deal steadfastly with the identified obstacles.The strike action by the tanker drivers is not surprising, coming from a group that is regularly on the road conveying goods from one part of the country to another. But Nigerians as a whole feel the pinch of the bad roads, as they bear the cost ultimately.The roads have been subjected to excessive pressure because there is no railway system. Bulk cargos that should normally be ferried by rail are being hauled through the roads. This has been going on for decades with government taking half-hearted steps to bring back the railway. Government should take concrete steps to restore the railway system to its past glory, reduce the pressure on the roads and generate employment. Similarly, there is need to develop and explore the country's waterways to provide alternative means of movement and haulage.To improve the roads, all that the country requires is a disciplined government, committed to making things work and bringing succour to the people. Both Federal and state governments should be worried that the nation's roads have only got worse under their watch. To treat the bad roads as anything less than an emergency will amount to irresponsibility on the part of all concerned governments of the Federation. Nigerians are anxious to see positive change on the condition of roads. And the time to start is now that the dry season has set in.
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