2 October 2008
Lagos — Cross River State Governor, Liyel Imoke, has called for joint policy on construction and rehabilitation of federal roads between federal and state government.
While receiving the Senate Committee on Works, led by its Chairman, Senator Julius Ucha, during a courtesy call, Imoke reasoned that the Federal Government can not administer all the roads across the country, advising that it should have confidence on states, as the locals do not know the difference between federal and state roads.
Imoke said the deplorable condition of federal roads has affected the state's economy adversely because farmers find it very difficult to convey their farm produce, which also affects movement of finished goods from Calabar Free Trade Zone to other parts of the country.
He noted that the state has not been lucky enough to share in the huge federal allocations for its roads, rather, the state has intervened in the repair of Federal roads, saying there should be the political will to do the right thing with the duo jointly undertaking projects to achieve positive results.
He explained that in Cross River, there is a joint execution of projects between the state and local governments, with both contributing funds and council chairmen acting as board members of the Rural Development Agency.
He added that the Federal Road Maintenance Agency (FERMA) is a disaster in Cross River, as the quality of its work and contractor is very poor.
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