The failure of FERMA to repair these potholes have a devastating effect on the Rivers government's fiscal capability, while also forcing drivers to spend more on fuel and general maintenance of their vehicles and loss of man-hours in the long traffic.During a visit to FERMA office in Port Harcourt, a senior official of the agency admitted that sections of federal roads had failed in the South-South and hence adequate funding was needed to rehabilitate them.The official said although works in areas like Eleme, Apkajo, Airport road and Aba road were ongoing; the agency had been under-funded, thus making its task difficult.'Maintenance of roads in South-South region is capital intensive because of the nature of the terrain but our constraints are inadequate funding. Right from inception, FERMA has been under-funded.'We have a lot of roads and the rate of failure requires adequate funding. Some of the roads have collapsed because they were constructed during the colonial era; some are over 20 years and such roads need good funding to maintain them,' the official said.LAMENTING the state of the roads, a taxi driver, Mr Friday Akpan, said that besides inconveniences the road causes motorists, pot-hole-related accidents could cause serious injury and/or death. 'This bad road has placed enormous financial burden on drivers. We have to replace tyres and pay for other repairs because of these terrible potholes on the road. There is a heart-rending bad spot at Eliozu. 'At times, I wonder if it is a crime to be a citizen of Nigeria. The government cannot provide mere roads for its citizens. God save us,' he said.A mechanic, Uchendu Igwe, near the University of Port Harcourt, said that bad roads, like the East West road, generally impact directly on the lifespan of vehicles.'Uneven, corrugated roads, over time, damage suspension, shock absorbers, tyres and wheel alignment. Braking to avoid potholes, then accelerating again wastes fuel and punishes brake pads and clutches.'All these exacerbate vehicle wear and tear conditions and their associated expenses,' he said.For another driver, Ufong, motorists were not happy because nothing tangible had been done to the road. 'The fact is clear, the contractors are working on the road but you still see potholes everywhere,' he said.'The situation is worrying because if you are scheduled to be in the office by 8am, if you wake up by 5am and leave your house, you cannot get to the office on time and that is too bad.'A trader at Rumuosi, Mrs Felicia Ihunna, who decried the slow pace of work on the road, said the long hours commercial motorists spend in traffic was a major factor why transport fares had skyrocketed over the years, thus impacting on the prices of food items in the market.'Bad road conditions have far-reaching effects on the broader economy, on business profitability and on the ultimate cost for goods and services,' she said.'When a taxi or bus driver's vehicle breaks down, it needs maintenance, repair. It's the commuters, including farmers that bear the cost at the end. So, business suffers.'She noted that often goods deteriorate when vehicles break down. The delay in taking produce to the market, she said, 'has far-reaching cost implications and often leads to frustration.'A pediatrician at the University of Port Harcourt Teaching Hospital (UPTH), Dr Appolous, blames shoddy contract execution on insincerity of the government.He decried the decision to hand over the critical road to the Ministry of Niger Delta Affairs, which lacks the requisite manpower to supervise the job and also not adequately funded by the Federal Government.Appolous wondered why the government did not transfer the responsibility of constructing roads in Abuja to the Ministry of the Federal Capital territory.'So, I see the issue of East-West Road as insincerity on the path of government. They are not interested in doing the East-West road knowing they don't release the money meant for the ministry appropriately,' he said.He urged President Jonathan to demonstrate sincerity and commitment of the government by speedily completing the road."Jonathan has one opportunity to make a name as the transformational president. If he misses this opportunity, he has lost if for life and will never regain it; he should be serious and show commitment,' he said.Headline:'ROADS OF DEATH AND MISERY'SINCE 1999, when certain details of federal budgets became a matter of public knowledge, on account of ritualistic presentation by ministries, departments and agencies to the National Assembly for debate and approval, what is said to be approved yearly for the Federal Ministry of Works does not reflect the actual state of roads across the country.Federal roads, as well as those belonging to states, have become a source of worry to majority of Nigerians, who daily commute from one place to the other.An inventory of the major highways shows gross neglect on the part of government, poor usage and less than good road manners on the part of the people.The Lagos-Ibadan expressway, for instance, has become deathtrap and for many years, government gave the impression it would be fixed. As at last week, the expressway was still a mess.In the early 90s, it took an average of one hour to link Lagos from Ibadan, but today it takes uncountable hours. Why' Many portions of the road have failed woefully because the road has expired.Those, whose duty it is to ensure safe driving only appear at accident scenes to give ad-hoc lectures, while reckless drivers of articulated vehicles roam the road menacingly. They park recklessly on the shoulders and median, bereft of the knowledge and observance of road rules.Many of these projects do not get thoroughly supervised. They are done without drainages and other details and that does not seem to bother the ministry and its long list of consultants. Neither does it worry the legislators, who approve the budgets and claim to have responsibility of oversight that their constituents are living in misery along the highways. So far, FERMA's activities are not so transparent and it is difficult to know what exactly the agency is up to.(xv) 'SUNDAY VANGUARD' newspaper (July 31 2011)Headline: 'CAN PRESIDENT TO SHARIA COUNCILON ISLAMIC BANKING''Keep your war drums'NATIONAL President of Christian Association of Nigeria (CAN), Pastor Ayo Oritsejafor, who recently returned to the country after two weeks spiritual retreat abroad, spoke to journalists at the Murtala Muhammed International Airport, Ikeja, Lagos on Tuesday, on the state of the nation including the vexed issue of Islamic banking and the insecurity in the action. The CAN president says members of the House of Representatives disappointed Nigerians on their position on Islamic banking Excerpts'.While you were out of the country, the Central Bank of Nigeria, CBN governor, Mallam Sanusi Lamido Sanusi was at the floor of the House of Representatives to explain the workability of the proposed Islamic banking and, at the end of the exercise, members acknowledged the presentation with applause. What is your reaction'THIS is a very serious moment for us as a nation. It's a time I think everyone must think seriously before doing anything or saying anything. What happened at the House of Representatives was a shock I think to well-thinking Nigerians; it was a shock because an issue that has generated so much controversy, you invite a man, he comes and he explains whatever he has to you, that is his job, he's supposed to explain. Now, after his explanation, we would have thought that a House of Representatives is representing the people, based on that, if you are actually representing the people, you mean your people have no views on this' That a man would come, explain himself, you clap for him and you say it is over and he walks out' Does it then mean that you understood everything and it is clear to you' We are waiting to hear clearly from the leadership of the House of Representatives. Let them defend what happened. I appeal to social activists and well-meaning Nigerians not to be quiet. They may think this is an issue they are not interested in, but tomorrow, another issue may come that they will be interested in. If this issue can be treated like this in the House of Representatives, they should be prepared for bigger things that are going to happen in the House of Representatives. I am highly disappointed.Let me again make it abundantly clear, we are not against Muslims, they are Nigerians. There are some Nigerians who are Muslims, some are Christians, we are Nigerians and we have known each other for years and will always be here. I'm a bit puzzled when I listen to what is coming from different angles. We are not basically against Muslims wanting a bank that would meet their needs. You can have a bank that will meet your needs. What we are saying is this, does the law of this country permit the CBN governor to spend state money promoting a sectional banking system' We are not against non-interest banking; after all, it started from the Bible from which every other person got it from. It is like someone or some persons are trying to blindfold Nigerians, but what we are against is the sectional non-interest banking. The CBN is the CBN of Nigeria and not CBN of Northern Nigeria or of Islamic Nigeria. It's CBN of the Federal Republic of Nigeria that comprises everybody.Now, how do you take state funds running into billions to promote one kind of non-interest banking' That is a question that must be answered. It is absolutely wrong. Number two, why must you have one set of guidelines for Islamic banking and then probably you will now have another set of guidelines for other non-interest banking''No nation survives religious war. I pray that Nigeria will not get to that point that there will be a religious war'(xvi) 'DAILY INDEPENDENT' newspaper (July 29 2011)Headline: 'BRITISH ROYAL WEDDING AND THE NIGERIAN TRADITION'Did you notice the horse-driven cart that transported the Duke (Prince Williams) and Duchess (Catherine Middleton) of Cambridge from the Westminster Abbey to the Buckingham Palace' It's been in place since 1902. But where is the Nigeria Airways today' As at 1980, the Nigeria Airways (NA) had at least 30 aircraft in its fleet. Due to a tradition of mismanagement, Sogerma, a French maintenance company, in 1988, seized one of the Nigeria Airways planes in order to recover a debt of $13 million. The same fate befell another NA jet via a French court order over unpaid debts. Have you asked how long the British Airways has been in existence and still flourishing till today'The Nigerian tradition! By year 2000 or so, NA had only one carrier with over 2,000 workers, before it was put out of its miseries through liquidation.As at 1979, Nigeria could boast of at least 20 ships in the fleet of the Nigerian National Shipping Line. Sometime in 1986, four Nigerian ships were seized in the United Kingdom and Portugal because of unpaid debts of $9 million. As a matter of fact, NNSL had to suspend business in European waters for the fear that more of its vessels might be impounded on account of debts. Yet, there are shipping lines that are over 50, 100 and 200 years old in the Queen's country and they are still flourishing.Where are the 50 or so Mercedes Benz cars that were imported and used for the 2003 Commonwealth Heads of State and Government Meeting (CHOGM) in Abuja, where the Queen of Britain was personally present'What has become of the National Stadium, Lagos' It has been left in ruins ' a den of robbers, crocodiles, green lakes, etc ' ever since the Abuja Stadium was built at an inflated cost. Today, there's a new Wembley stadium in Britain, but has the Old Wembley shared the fate of Nigeria's National Stadium in Surulere, Lagos'(xvii) '(SUNDAY INDEPENDENT)' newspaper (July 31 2011)Headline: 'ADOKE, WAZIRI 'FEUD' WON'T AFFECT ANTI-GRAFT WAR'' PresidencyAS THE seemingly cold war between the office of the Attorney General of the Federation and that of the Chairman of Economic and Financial Crimes Commission (EFCC) rages, the Presidency has said that the throwing of brick brats between the two camps will not dampen the fight against corruption in the country.'Speaking to Sunday Independent during the week, presidential spokesman, Reuben Abati, said what the press thinks as a clash of interests is not more than the two performing their official duties.While it is believed in some quarters that the recent face-off between the two is an unnecessary distraction, the Presidency thinks otherwise, and wants the public to regard it as an administrative affair that should be treated in that context.'To the best of my knowledge there is no clash of personal interests between the EFCC chairman and the Attorney General; it is an administrative affair.'If you notice, not even the EFCC Chairman has come out to say anything categorical on the matter. If an NGO petitioned the Attorney General over the matter, then you don't expect him not to do his official duties,' said Abati.He also noted that even the Attorney General has been taken before the EFCC by another NGO.'Apparently, the press has taken an extra interest in the matter,' he said, but noted that, 'it should not be forgotten that the Attorney General has some functions assigned to him by the Constitution.''I see nothing personal in it,' he stressed when referred to the gazette reportedly issued by the Attorney General office in respect of the prosecuting powers of the EFCC even as he argued that there was nothing new or unconstitutional in the said document.'What you call a face-off between the two has not in any way whittled down the administration's fight against corruption,' said Abati, even as he recalled the several occasions on which Jonathan had made clear that resolve.'Mr President has on about four occasions recently restated his commitment to fighting corruption. Like during the inauguration of ministers, the retreat for cabinet members and the recent forum of the Bureau for Public Procurement where he was represented by the Secretary to the Government of the Federation,' he recalled.However, a source close to the anti-graft agency told Sunday Independent that the rift between the two camps is not in any way connected with attempt by some people to frustrate the tenure renewal of the EFCC boss as being speculated in quarters, but a grand design by some prominent Nigerians to cause distraction for the agency's boss so that she will not be able to vigorously pursue some of the high profile cases being investigated or those ones currently pending in court.'The source said: 'The EFCC boss is not desperate about second term and the whole campaign of calumny is not even about tenure renewal as some Nigerians are made to believe, it is about some top Nigerians who are working tirelessly to distract the agency from pursuing some high profile cases it is investigating and those already in court.''Bashorun R `andle, OFR, is the CEO of JK Randle Professional Services. 'E-mail: jkrandleintuk@gmail.com
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