Nigeria Gets Highway Development Roadmap

Federal Government has set a three-year road map for the development of highways, targeted at promoting the culture of maintenance and upgrading of existing infrastructure to enhance socio-economic growth of the country.

Mrs. Diezani Alison-Madueke, minister of Transportation, who revealed this at an interactive session with stakeholders in the transport sector in Abuja, said the new road development strategy is programmed towards improved rural-urban transport sector for economic development. Diezani however assured Nigerians that the implementation of the 5% fuel levy approved by the National Assembly in the amended Federal Road Maintenance Agency (FERMA) Act would relax for now.

According to her, "the issue of fuel levy, which am sure the Engineer Olubunmi Peters, managing director of FERMA, has expatiated on number of occasions, is one that has not yet taken effect". "And it will be until such a time that it has been clearly sort out and worked out with all necessary government agencies and MDAs that have to be involved for it to become effective", she said. The minister noted, "it will also never be put in effect in such a way that it will become an additional burden or on top of petrol price increases on road using public. So I don’t think it is an issue that we should concern ourselves on about at this point in time". Mrs. Diezani who also emphasized on the ongoing concessioning process of some selected highways and bridges across the country said such road must meet the international standard before tolls should be collected on them. She said "I think that once the country and the road users at all levels see the quality of the roads that would actually be tolled, they will be more than happy to pay those tolls. I have no doubt that we are driving on international quality expressways, at some points over the few years, our concern will not be the toll because to toll could be kept to a certain standard or level anywhere". "Our concern and our target will be for the quality of the road and just I have said for the shortness of turnaround time for the safety to our persons and to our assets. And in fact for the fact we can make journeys with a much lower percent of ghastly carnage on our roads". "The tolls could be incidental because tolls are actually taken in all developed countries or international expressways. So in all, the way we take it that’s the only way we can sustain good quality roads. But the high quality roads at the international quality roads would be put in place first before the tolls start". On the three-year agenda, she said "over the years, the Federal Government has been saddled with the responsibility of bearing the burden of financing road construction solely through budgetary allocation". She added, "notwithstanding, the present administration is poised to improve on providing adequate infrastructure in recognition and promotion of the vital role transportation plays in the socio-economic, political and cultural development of our great nation". She explained that to this end therefore, the Federal Ministry of Transportation has set targets for the year 2008-2011 in the road to improve the safety, security, quality and speed of movement of goods and people at both national and international levels. The road map also, according to her, targets to increase the involvement of the Private sector in financing and operation of transport-related service and to promote the culture of maintenance and upgrading of existing infrastructure as well as to develop institutional framework and revised legislations in the sector for sustainable growth, amongst others.