Borno NASS Members Seek Fashola Intervention On Roads Ravaged By Boko Haram

Members of the National Assembly from Borno State have appealed to the federal government to intervene by rehabilitating some major roads ravaged by Boko Haram in the state.

The Lawmakers, comprising Senators and House of Representatives members made the appeal on Tuesday when they met with the Minister of Works and Housing, Babatunde Fashola.

Addressing newsmen on behalf of his colleagues after the meeting, senator representing Borno South, Ali Ndume, who noted with concern the huge infrastructural deficit in the state, added that the long period of the insurgency had prevented government from working on the various dilapidated projects across the state.

Ndume said the call became necessary following the harrowing experience that residents and commuters now face on the dilapidated roads.

He lamented that work had yet to start on some of the roads like Biu-Gombe, Biu-Maiduguri, Biu-Damaturu, Biu-Gombi, Bama-Gwoza-Mubi and Gwoza-Damboa-Buni Yadi, which were captured in previous budgets and consequently awarded.

Ndume insisted that no serious work was being carried out on those roads and that a journey that should ordinarily take commuters one and a half hours, often took more than six hours now.

He said that apart from the stress, most of the roads now posed a security threat to commuters and that kidnappers and other criminally -minded persons usually take advantage of vehicles slowing down to avoid potholes, to abduct commuters and perpetrate other forms of crime.

Ndume said, “I met the minister in company with other lawmakers from our state to let him know what our people are going through.

“We came to beg the minister to intervene and take the hardship away from the people and from our discussion with him, we hope that serious work will commence on those roads.

“As we speak, there is only one connecting road that is motorable. From Maiduguri to Biu is 186 km drive, which is about one and a half hours but because of the insurgency, the road is completely closed. So, to travel that road now takes a minimum of six hours.

“The sad story is that the road from Biu to Buni Yadi is so bad. The road leads to Sambisa forest and if anyone should travel there, the person has to slow down and you know what that means.

“The only road we started using last week is Biu-Potiskum-Damaturu road. So, as we speak, Maiduguri is locked. The only exit is through Borno South and that is not good at all, considering the traffic in that axis, “he said.

Ndume urged the federal government to prioritise road work in the state to ease the pains of a people, who he said were already devastated by the insurgency.