The Coalition of Southern Groups (CSG) has called on the Bola Ahmed Tinubu-led administration to declare a state of emergency on all federal roads in the southern part of the country.

Led by Prof. Vitalis Orikeze Ajumbe, the group stated at a press conference in Abuja on Thursday that the deteriorating condition of roads in the South urgently requires attention and is long overdue for complete repairs and overhaul.

The coalition expressed regret that roads in the southern part of Nigeria have remained unrepaired for decades, despite the region producing the oil that sustains the country’s economy.

The CSG urged relevant ministries, departments, and agencies (MDAs) to respond to the urgent need to repair all road networks across the southern region.

While acknowledging the potential benefits of the Lagos-Calabar coastal and Badagry-Sokoto highways on the long-term well-being of southern communities, the CSG insisted on immediate repairs of dilapidated roads to provide direct benefits to the people.

“This emergency meeting of stakeholders of CSG is essentially to address some of the critical issues that affect the people of the southern region. Today, it is difficult for our farmers to transport their produce to markets due to the deplorable conditions of all the roads in southern Nigeria,” they stated.

“Good and usable roads are the lifeline of any viable economy and commerce in an ideal society. The southern region of Nigeria is at a significant disadvantage due to the poor state of roads across the entire region, causing severe hardship for local people, who are traditional peasant farmers and petty market traders struggling to make a living.”

The CSG assured that it would continue to advocate for effective leadership and quality representation for the people through national discourse, engagement, social awareness campaigns, seminars, summits, political participation, sensitization programs, dialogue, and workshops.