…Tasks Fayemi On Immediate Fixing of Federal Roads In Ekiti
By Gbenga Sodeinde
Human Rights Lawyer and former Chairman, Nigeria Bar Association (NBA), Ado Ekiti branch, Barr. Olakanmi Samuel Falade has blamed both the state and federal tiers of government for the deplorable state of Ekiti roads.
Falade, in a chat with heritagenewsng.com in Ado-Ekiti on Monday, said shifting all the blame on the Federal government is hypocritical and illogical.
According to him, “lt is saddening and perfidious for the state government or any other individual to blame the federal government alone for the fact that none of the 12 federal roads in Ekiti has become passable.
“No! I disagree with this and I want to say without any apology that the state should also be blamed the more than the federal government. Of course, whose responsibility is it to maintain and to have taken appropriate steps before the whole situation got to this deplorable state?
“After all, our outgoing governor is the longest serving Chairman of all Governors in Nigeria and he has been invited to perform several commissioning of roads in other states across Nigeria, commissioning of federal projects inclusive. He has been plying the deplorable federal roads in Ekiti. The roads did not fail or become impassable in one day!?
“When he was campaigning for governorship, he promised the people that all the federal roads will be fixed. He convinced us that his political party is the one at the centre and that it won’t be difficult for him to convince his president to fix these roads. This was part of the reasons Ekiti peoole voted for him.
“The onus lies in him now to fulfill that promise by telling his president to fix the federal roads in Ekiti and also use his influential position as chairman of all Nigeria’s governors to ensure this happens before his tenure lapses.
“This is a matter of priority! Afterall, We have seen Governors under this patriarchal democracy go plead their cases with the patriarch and some got attention and brought relief and reprieve to their people. But not Ekiti, at least from what is on ground as it is today.
“My advice is to the both outgoing and incoming state Governors to look for urgent and immediate way out to the deplorable state of roads in Ekiti so that it will not aggravate the insecurity situation in the country” Falade submitted.