Daily Independent (Lagos)
8 December 2008
Former Governor of Anambra State, Dr. Chris Ngige, has advised governors in the South East geo-political zone to take up the challenge of repairing federal roads that had become impassable in the zone instead of waiting endlessly for federal attention.
Noting that a number of federal roads had become death traps, Ngige said each state governor from the zone should identify such roads and repair them because of the danger they pose to road users.
The former governor, who spoke in Enugu, explained that the states could later apply to the Federal Government for refund of any money used in repairing such roads.
Ngige also called on the Federal Government to address quickly, the poor state of roads in the South East by using part of the ecology funds.
In doing this, he advised Abuja to engage a good construction firm to do a solid job on the roads to stand the test of time.
He equally tasked the government to ensure durable drainage system in constructing the roads.
"I advise the Federal Government to use part of the ecology funds to build the South East roads and widen the drainage system on these roads. "There is the need to engage very good contractors to do a solid job which will last for a long time," he said.
On the N6 billion budgeted for the second Niger Bridge, Ngige said the amount was not enough, adding that such a paltry sum for a project of such magnitude was a further victimisation of the people of the South East.
Noting that the bridge was the gateway to the South East, Benue and some other states, he called on the Federal Government to show serious commitment to the project.
He also wants legislators to react to the development, adding that what the zone needed was a replacement of the Niger Bridge, which according to him, was blown-up during the Civil War.
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