The Senate has urged the Federal Government to prioritise the completion of abandoned and ongoing road projects across the country before embarking on new ones, citing inadequate funding and the worsening condition of existing highways.
The lawmakers, however, acknowledged that new roads could be necessary in communities where flooding had destroyed existing routes or where underserved areas required improved access.
The position followed a motion sponsored by Senator Tony Nwoye during Wednesday’s plenary on the deplorable condition of the Ogbaru-Ndoni-Rivers Federal Highway.
The Senate urged the Federal Roads Maintenance Agency (FERMA), the South-East Development Commission (SEDC) and the Federal Ministry of Works to carry out emergency repairs on failed sections of the highway pending its comprehensive rehabilitation and reconstruction.
It also called on the Ministry of Works to immediately commence the rehabilitation and reconstruction of the Ogbaru-Iyiowa-Odekpe-Atani-Ogwuikpele-Ndoni highway through a special intervention programme or other appropriate funding arrangements.
The Senate directed its Committee on Works to inspect the road, engage relevant stakeholders and submit its findings within four weeks. It also mandated the Senate Committees on Works and Appropriations to ensure adequate funding for the project.
Leading the debate, Nwoye said the highway, which connects communities in Anambra State to Ndoni in Rivers State, had suffered decades of neglect despite being partially constructed in the late 1980s.
He attributed its deterioration to ageing infrastructure, increased traffic, inadequate maintenance and prolonged abandonment, resulting in deep potholes, pavement failures and severe erosion.
According to him, a journey of about 70 kilometres from Onitsha through Ogbaru to Ndoni, which should take approximately one hour, now takes nearly two hours because of the road’s condition.
He warned that the highway had become a danger to motorists and other road users, with frequent vehicle breakdowns and stranded commuters exposing travellers to accidents and security threats.
Nwoye added that the poor condition of the road had increased transportation costs, wasted productive hours and disrupted commercial activities. He warned that continued neglect could undermine interstate trade, agricultural activities, regional integration and investment, including oil exploration and production along the Ogbaru corridor.
Contributing to the debate, senators, including Isah Jibrin, Diket Plang and Sampson Ekong, highlighted other abandoned roads nationwide, stressing that completing existing projects would improve the movement of goods and services and ease hardship in affected communities.
One of the lawmakers specifically cited the Calabar-Itu and Idukpani-Itu roads, saying their poor condition had contributed to loss of lives, disrupted businesses and caused difficulties for passengers and traders along the Aba-Ikot Ekpene and Umuahia-Ikot Ekpene corridors.
Senator Adams Oshiomhole criticised the Ministry of Works for commencing new projects while several existing roads remained abandoned or underfunded. Senators Ahmad Lawan, Adamu Aliero and Wasiu Eshilokun supported the position, urging the government to focus on completing ongoing projects.
Lawan said the ministry should avoid starting new roads until existing ones were completed, while allowing for exceptions in underserved communities.
Senate President Godswill Akpabio agreed that completing ongoing projects should take priority but cautioned against imposing a blanket restriction on new road construction.
He explained that some communities required new routes because flooding had destroyed existing roads, leaving residents without access.
“Some of the flooding sites are areas that we must touch, or it will mean that we have abandoned them,” Akpabio said.
