Minister of works and housing, Babatunde Fashola had yesterday stated that Nigerian roads are not as bad as they are being portrayed by Nigerians.  The Minister made this statement after the federal executive council meeting with the Vice president, Yomi Osinbanjo on Wednesday in Abuja.

Reacting to Fashola’s assessment of Nigerian roads, the Chairman, Infrastructure Development Committee, Manufacturers Association of Nigeria, Ibrahim Usman while speaking to Punch news, said contrary to what the minister said, Nigerian roads were very bad.

He said, “I think the minister is being economical with the truth. The roads are terrible. Take for instance the Biu to Gombe road that took one-and-a-half hours in the past to ply, now it takes four hours to get from Biu to Gombe. The luck we have is that Boko Haram has not stuck on that road.

“Another terrible road is the Damaturu-Biu road. That also takes four hours when in the past it took less than two hours.That was where military trucks and equipment were seized and taken into the bush by  bandits some weeks back. At least if the roads are good, cars can move with speed  but when the roads are terrible, movement is difficult and it is easy for robbers to attack.”

“Another terrible road is the Damaturu-Biu road. That also takes four hours when in the past it took less than two hours.That was where military trucks and equipment were seized and taken into the bush by  bandits some weeks back. At least if the roads are good, cars can move with speed  but when the roads are terrible, movement is difficult and it is easy for robbers to attack.”

The Director General, Nigeria Employers’ Consultative Association, Mr Timothy Olawale, reasoned that the minister might not be plying the same roads as other Nigerians.

He made reference to the Ibadan-Oyo-Ogbomoso road, saying that it was a very good example of the terrible situation of Nigerian roads.

He said, “The huge craters along the Oyo-Ogbomoso road can swallow vehicles. These are roads that were manageable before but they have gone completely bad. People spend hours on that expressway because of tankers that fall into the craters.

“The sad thing is that the government is not doing any kind of palliative work on the roads.”

He said, “To say that the road between Asaba and Enugu is bad is an understatement. I think the minister is not in touch with reality. He needs to speak with his road maintenance engineers and get information about the true situation of Nigerian roads.”