A chieftain of the All Progressives Congress(APC) ,Bimbo Daramola (fondly called congressman) has urged the Federal Government to compel companies and organisations whose activities mess up Nigerian roads to pay tax or royalties for maintenance of roads in the affected states.
Daramola, a member of the seventh National Assembly observed that the huge traffic caused by Trucks from Dangote Cement Company and others portend a great danger to the people of Ekiti .
In his Save Our Soul Message , the former federal lawmaker ,who was a member, House of Representatives Committee on Works {2011-2015),said the Federal Government must act fast by instituting an enduring policy that would gurantee the durability of the Federal roads which are about to be fixed ,particularly in Ekiti and other pset of Nigeria.
Though, Daramola commended the FG for approving the reconstruction of roads which run through the heart of Ekiti ,he ,however expressed concern that such efforts may not have the desired impact, if nothing is done to safeguard the huge traffic .
He said ,”who will bail us out, no sooner are these roads fixed, that they begin to fail under the weight of these trailers carrying everything from tons of cartons of beer to more often than anything else mega tons of cement from Dangote cement.
“Our national road infrastructure codes should compel the Organisations whose activities mess up our roads to pay commensurate road taxes or royalties on road usage to the states for the maintenance of the roads that their trucks ply within those roads .
“As it stands today, commuters on these major artery roads are cursing under their breath, I have a sense that Government at the Federal level could do well to reconsider the release of Funds to State Governments to handle the “FEDERAL GOVERNMENT ROADS within the various States , that way they can take responsibility and the blame can be squarely theirs if tany Governor sits idly by and watch the arterial roads within their states go bad.
“More importantly, it’s about time to reengage the critical stakeholders like Dangote to revisit the issue of road infrastructure that suffers while they smile to their banks and many other compatriots suffer in silence.
“From Ayebode to Ita Awure, they are the ubiquitous menace messing up our roads, everywhere you turn, they are the king of the road, they are the undesirables.
“Sometimes they could number up to 60 on the roads,like I counted today and even lost count, on their trail are their ugly tell tales signatures that are visible to the blind,from gullies to craters of different shapes and sizes.
“From Oye township to Ifaki , to the stretch through Ijero, concourse through Aramoko and the Evangelical city of Erio, they are the dominant spectacle.
“Just how do we survive and cope with these? Before the Governor and his administration begins to look bad and incompetent, we need to begin that sensitization now, there is no way Ekiti State nay any state can survive the assault from these monster on our roads.
“Let me therefore be one of the well intentioned and meaning Ekiti indigenes to scream myself hoarse that we are faced with an existential danger going by what I witnessed today, we cannot afford to wait till our roads fail completely!
I recall that I did a lot of activism in this area when I was in National Assembly , Architect Onolememen the then Minister of Works will not forget that irritant from Ekiti in a hurry. It may even be better now that we are not even in opposition, which the Governor has exploited to the hilt.
“Its most unconscionable for Organisations like Dangote, Nigeria Breweries Plc to be making money at the expense of our discomfort, and expect that we will just let it slide, while we know that some of you undertake CSRs in different ways , I dare say it’s not matching in impact, extent and reach compared to the the discomfort that we experience when your trucks ferrying your products mess up our roads and put us through the gruesome conditions and inconvenience during our travels but most importantly while putting our lives in harms way too, imagine the brakes of one of those trucks failing while going through Oye Ekiti, God forbid !! our lives are worth more than bags of indomie and rice.
“Our national road infrastructure codes should compel the Organisations whose activities mess up our roads to pay commensurate road taxes or royalties on road usage to the states for the maintenance of the roads that their trucks ply within those states.
“We know that the weight of the trucks are the serious contributory factors why those roads fail, it’s about time that we ask the major contributors to also wake up and be alive to their responsibilities or the consequences of their activities.
“Otherwise let there be an arrangement like the one that Dangote did in lagos, using his cement to replace the construction of road with bitumen from oworonshoki and some parts of Apapa.
“I do not think it’s fair to let the State Governors begin to look so bad for obligations that they are ill equipped to handle, particularly if it’s in States where the Governor is well meaning going by what he has done with inner city or intra city roads.
“I know Governor Oyebanji has done well with roads within the capital city and even outside, it’s not often that the citizens want to hear that the road that’s giving them discomfort during their travels is a FEDERAL GOVERNMENT ROAD, and not many Governors are willing to openly push the blame, with the exonerating billboard screaming, please “ bear with us, this is a federal road”,
“As this President is noted for saying “there is no “#Federal #Nigerian”!!
“While acknowledging the results from the “#gubernatorial #shuttle efforts of Governor #Oyebanji with regard to getting the maximum benefit from Federal Government that’s led to the concession of the FG to handle some of our roads, I want to appeal that the Federal Government should not leave one for the other.
I agree that we are not the only one in this situation , but we must reconcile ourselves with the Ekiti State geographical reality and centrality to North – South movement of humans, goods and services, this should compel a more wholistic and sustainable development focus and approach uniquely crafted for Ekiti State.
“It will be appreciated if His Excellency Minister of Works, former Governor #Umeahi can give us two days to travel from Ayebode to Ita Awure, then what I am saying will be more graphic to you Sir.
“This post is an SOS to Federal Government of Nigeria,particularly Federal Ministry of Works, while thanking you for what has been agreed based on the insistence of Governor Oyebanji, the truth however is that one cannot wait for the other, these road arteries connects and runs through the state.
“May I also encourage the National Assembly Members to continue to press harder to get us out of this quagmire.
“As the first church screamed to Paul “Please come to Macedonia” and help us! NOW” Daramola said