Bamidele Salam, a member of the
house of representatives from Osun state, has challenged Babatunde Fashola,
minister of works, to a 90-day tour on Nigerian roads.
Salam, who is of the Peoples
Democratic Party (PDP), threw the challenge while reacting to Fashola’s claim
that Nigerian roads are “not as bad as portrayed.”
The minister had said: “The roads
are not as bad as they are often portrayed … the roads are not that bad.”
But addressing journalists in
Abuja on Thursday, the lawmaker berated Fashola for the comment which he said
is a clear indication he was not in tune with reality.
“I found this statement, which
had been repeated by the honourable minister at least on two previous occasions
as a clear indication that some of us in public offices are not at all in tune
with the horrendous realities of our fellow citizens’ daily experience,” he
said.
“Appreciating what Nigerians go
through on our bad roads daily, requires that public office holders put
themselves in the shoes of the average Nigerian and get a first-hand experience
of how Nigerians survive on a daily basis.
“It is only when the minister, as
well as other relevant stakeholder, travel the roads in the country for a
reasonable length of time would they understand the yearnings of Nigerians.”
Salam asked Fashola and other
concerned individuals to join him to tour the roads in the country for three
months to better understand their state.
He said: “As a member of the
house of representatives committee on works, I will be throwing a road travel
challenge to the honourable minister and all persons concerned to avoid air
travel for all local trips in the next 90 days.
“If we will agree to this
challenge, we may come back with a better appreciation of the true state of our
road infrastructure and the desperate things we need to do to save our economy
from further disruptions as a result of the burgeoning crisis in the road
transportation sector.”
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