THE NIGERIAN ROADS (I): Tailor-Made for the poor to………..




Every journey on the road supposed to be fun in every aspect of it because ordinarily it will afford those embarked on it the first hand and closer information with the concerned location.  But when it comes to Nigeria the story is a negative one, every reminder of Nigerian road brings back the memory of death, mutilated bodies, blood, tears and sorrow.  Road trip in Nigeria is a hell if I have to be fair with this topic.  It seems as if the road is only meant to be used by some segments of the population particularly the down-trodden ones who cannot afford the affluent lifestyle.

Statistically, Nigeria as a country has a 120, 546 mile network of roads, the quality of which is generally poor, according to Voice of America Gilbert da Costa.  The roads are crumbling because they are poorly maintained.  Heavy travel on major roads accelerates the wear, vehicles accidents are very common, and the fatality rate is high.

The comatose state of Nigerian state did not start today, it started long time ago.  Sincerely speaking, our roads was once the best in Africa but it started losing its goodness because the set of people who are opportune to rule the country have no plan, have no foresight and are so concerned about themselves alone.  It all boils down to issue of leadership, leadership is about future not now, leadership is about selflessness, leadership is about having a clear picture of why you are leading, leadership is about planning, leadership is about the people.  Our roads clearly represents who we really are as a person in this country and what type of leadership we have, these roads will surely revealed to you the kind of people living in this country and everything revolves round the people in a country.

According to Nigeria Exchange, a Nigeria news website funding for repairs has not been sufficient to keep up with the rate at which roads are crumbling. Adding to the deterioration is damage caused by flooding during the annual rainy season from May to October. Risky driving habits also make travel dangerous. Many vehicles lack proper safety equipment and are not in good condition themselves.


As I pointed out earlier, the deterioration of these roads did not start today, for a country to have a good infrastructure like roads, a lot of things needs to be considered, in the case of Nigeria, we lack focus, we lack foresight and this is why the privileged ones among us in the position of authority to think ahead that in the next ten years, the current infrastructure especially the roads will not be able to withstand the number of people that will be using it, thereby making alternatives either by constructing of new roads or repairing/replacing of the current one to meet the needs of the people.

Nigeria's annual traffic fatality rate was reported as 5,000 in 2009. A major contributor to this statistic is the poor condition of the roads. Potholes are numerous, leading drivers to swerve around them, sometimes putting themselves and those in other vehicles at risk. There are frequent delays when vehicles have to slow down. Lagos, the commercial city, is notorious for its slow traffic. Some roads have deteriorated so badly they are impassable

It is a common sight to witness traffic congestion in the roads on our major cities because there are no alternatives, even where there are alternatives, it is either a death trap or sometimes it is not advisable to ply such due to security concerns.  And in some cases, the city planning is also a great concern.  We have cases where people builds on what supposed to be roads and as pointed out above, the citizens shows how their leadership is and in the case of Nigeria, there is disorderliness in every facet of our life.

The numerous potholes on the roads damage vehicles and tires, adding to maintenance and repair costs, especially for those who must drive frequently. Despite the billions of allocation for repairing transport infrastructure planned by the Nigerian government in all these while, problems with the roads continue. Nigeria has among the highest number of road accidents in the world, according to Peoplesdailyonline.com. Added to injuries, deaths and damaged vehicles, high transport costs represent a significant drain on the economy.

Other dangers on the roads are the insufficient number of stop signs and traffic lights, as well as overloaded vehicles, including public buses. Some roads became so bad that north central areas such as Danja and Sabuwa were cut off from traffic. The Federal Roads Maintenance Agency, or FERMA, repaired about 2,796 miles of road in 2010, but the number of roads that need attention is still an immense problem.
  

As it is now, it seems as if the rich among us (in Nigeria, there are two classes of people, the rich and the poor, you can only belongs to one class) have abandoned the roads to the poor as some of them now flies in private jets and chopper within the country.  That is why it is rare to have any uproar anytime an accident that involves loss of life occurs on these roads.  This ‘I don’t care’ attitude of these rulers of ours have made these road worse than you can ever imagine and if there is reason for them to use the road, they do so in sports utility vehicles (SUVs) which ordinarily won’t give them any impression that the road is bad.
To be continued…………………………………..



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