WorldStage Newsonline– Following a motion , Nigeria’s Senate has called on President Bola Tinubu to graciously approve special funds for the reconstruction and dualisation of the Ibadan-Ife-Ilesa-Akure expressway.
Debating the motion tagged “Urgent Need to Re-construct the collapsed Ibadan-Ife-Ilesa-Akure Express Way and dualise the Ilesa-Akure-Owo-Benin road,” sponsored by Senator Oluwole Fadeyi Olubiyi representing Osun Central at the upper chamber of the National Assembly, the Senate acknowledged notice of collapse of the road which it said spanned a total of 319 kilometers.
It also admitted awareness of the significant impact the road had in Nigeria’s economic framework which, according to it, links trading activities between the northern and the southern parts of the country.
The motion was co-sponsored by Senator Abiodun Akintunde (Oyo Central), Senator Ayodele Adegbonmire (Ondo Central), Senator Raphael Adaramodu (Ekiti South), and Senator Francis Fadahunsi (Osun East).
The red chamber stated it was aware that since the Ibadan-Ile Ife road was dualized in 1987 and Ife-Akure-Owo-Benin in 1978, there hadn’t been any major construction or rehabilitation on that segment of the road.
Noting that the section of the road from Ilesa to Owo had remained a single lane since its construction in 1978 to serve as a major link between the Southwest and northern states, the Senate expressed that the current state of the road was extremely poor and characterized by numerous potholes, eroded sections, overall deterioration, increased vehicle maintenance costs, longer travel times as well as reduced safety.
It regretted that the poor condition of the road had led to frequent accidents that had resulted in significant loss of lives and properties.
The upper chamber also noted that the poor condition of the road had led to a decline in agricultural activities and adversely affected movement of agricultural produce across the country, thereby resulting in slide in the agricultural output and economy, especially now that the country needed to diversify.
It further regretted that collapse of road infrastructure had virtually cut off many parts of the country, bringing with it negative impact on trade and commerce.
“An average daily traffic (ADT) on that route is approximately 10,000 – 15,000 vehicles, comprising passenger cars, commercial buses, trucks and trailers,” it recalled.
The body of the senior federal lawmakers said it noted with sadness the concomitant loss of lives as a result of the bad state of roads as evidenced by the chilling statistics reeled out by the Federal Road Safety Commission (FRSC) which, according to the red chamber, is a price too high and too prohibitive to pay.
It therefore reiterated that the importance of the road to the nation’s economy wouldn’t only enhance the economic prospects of the regions it served but also safeguard the lives and wellbeing of the citizens.
While commending the ongoing legacy road infrastructure project under the leadership of President Tinubu, the Senate appealed to him to extend the gesture to the motioned roads by granting unhindered fund approval for reconstruction.
