Rep seeks Presidency’s support to fix roads

House of Representatives Deputy Minority Leader Toby Okechukwu has sought the cooperation of the Presidency to enable the National Assembly to find lasting solution to the sorry state of Nigerian roads.

In a statement in Abuja, Okechukwu (PDP, Enugu) expressed concern about the level of dilapidation among Nigerian roads.

He said: “Finding lasting solutions to the poor state of Nigerian roads should take pre-eminence in 2020 because Nigerians deserve good roads to meet their socio-economic needs.

“Therefore, the House of Representatives passed the National Roads Fund Bill and Federal Roads Bill as permanent solutions to the poor road infrastructure.

“While the National Road Fund Bill will establish a National Roads Fund to provide predictable and sustainable funding for road maintenance in order to promote the sustainable development and management of the nation’s road network, the Federal Roads Bill will establish an agency to govern and manage the nation’s federal roads network.

“Although both Bills did not receive presidential assent in the Eighth National Assembly, we reintroduced and passed them in the current House of Representatives, just before the Christmas break, as they remain the real panacea for our road challenges.

“In doing so, we addressed the concerns raised by the President in the Eighth National Assembly. So, it is our hope that the Presidency will partner the National Assembly to ensure that the Bills are passed and signed into law this time to change the face of our roads and boost socio-economic development in the country.”