Ex-Commissioner seeks concessioning of roads to check decay

FILE PHOTO: Road being repaired in Lagos

A Fellow of the Nigerian Society of Engineers, Mr. Kola Shittu, has recommended concessioning of roads as a panacea to the deplorable state of roads in Nigeria.

Shittu made the disclosure in an interview with the News Agency of Nigeria (NAN) in Offa, Offa Local Government Area of Kwara.

The former Commissioner for Works said that the best way to achieve road infrastructure in the country remained through Public-Private Partnership arrangement.

He asserted that government alone could not tackle road decay without the active involvement of the private sector.

Under this arrangement, Shittu explained that the company handling the project would deliver and as well as take charge of the maintenance.

“There is no doubt that one of the best way to achieve our road infrastructure is by concession; private-public partnership.

“When you do concession for our roads, it will be delivered and maintained by the company that is handling it,” he said.

Shittu, a former federal lawmaker, also advocated a review of specification presently used for road construction in the country.

“The specification of our roads these days must have to be revisited; this is entirely the assignment of the Federal Ministry for Works.

“For instance, a road from Ilorin-Omu Aran-Egbe-Lokoja is bad now. Even when it is rehabilitated with the present specification, I doubt whether that three years will pass without going bad.

“So, a total redesigning of the specification of our roads is very important, that will lessen the maintenance in the future,” he said.

According to him, the government needs to tackle this issue of road and design a road map to achieve road infrastructure.

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