Hold FG responsible for bad roads, pump price

Nekede-Ihiagwa Federal Road, Owerri West Council of Imo State

Special Adviser to the Edo State Governor on Media Projects, Crusoe Osagie, yesterday, urged residents to hold the Federal Government responsible for the deplorable state of federal roads in the state, and the continued hardship the people are experiencing as a result of the hike in fuel price, occasioned by the removal of fuel subsidy.

Osagie said this when he addressed protesters made up of civil society organisations and activists, who were at the Government House, Benin City, to lament the high cost of petroleum products, which has affected the cost of living, inflicting hardship and suffering on the people.

The media aide said that Governor Godwin Obaseki cannot change the price of fuel or fix federal roads when such monies would not be repaid to the state to execute its own road projects.He urged the protesters to channel their energies to calling on the Federal Government to rise to its responsibilities.

Osagie said: “We have challenges with the state roads. That is why it will be difficult for us to take Edo people’s money to fix federal roads. The Federal Government collects 54 per cent of the Federal Account Allocation Committee (FAAC). Local councils and states share the rest 46 per cent. The Federal Government is just one entity while states are 36.

“The state government can’t take its money to fix federal roads when we know that such funds will not be refunded. We have state roads to be fixed, such as Ekehuan Road, among others.

We can’t leave state roads to fix federal roads.”
The media aide pointed out that the governor has been calling on the Federal Government to help fix federal roads in the state, including Benin-Abraka Road and the Benin Auchi Road, where our lawmaker almost died, as well as the Benin-Sapele Road and the Benin-Lagos Road at the Ovia River Bridge. He said the calls fell on deaf ears, as there is no guarantee that it will act.

On the pump price increase, Osagie told the protesters that the governor can’t singlehandedly change the fuel price, but will help channel their grievances to the appropriate quarters for action.