BOILING COCKTAIL NIGERIAN HIGHWAYS Travelling on Nigerian roads for two weeks has opened my eyes to the dangers

faced by travellers everyday as they ply the federal highways. The states of the roads have deteriorated to a sorry state that most travellers embark on a journey with their hearts in their mouths. Of course the government and other elites in society will remain insensitive to it after all, they fly to their destinations. Thanks to our ever ailing aviation industry, some of the public office holders at some point resorted travelling by road. The outcome was not palatable for some of the governors and highly placed government officials. That not less than four governors almost lost their lives in motor accidents in different regions of the country is an indication of the terrible state of the roads. As a child, one of the things I enjoyed most was travelling in the night. I could fall asleep and only wake up the next day when our bus is entering the city. But people are now scared of night travels for two obvious reasons: the first is that of armed robbers and the second is the issue of the bad state of our roads. Over time, the Federal Emergency Road Maintenance Authority has tried in the area of patching the damaged portions of the roads. I think they deserve some commendations in this regard even though I am not in the picture of how much funds they receive for fixing the roads. Some of these roads have defied all cries by Nigerians that they are turning into death traps. Even with the federal government coming on national media to announce that contracts for the reconstruction of such roads have been given, the roads remain unfixed with little or no sign of earth moving machines in action. An indication that either the government is deceiving us or there are some individuals who are above the law. The presence of some village volunteers on the highways using earth to fill the potholes is a common sight as you travel on Nigerian roads. Though they seem to be worsening the condition, these youth have turned this act of charity into a profitable venture as they demand for a token from the motorists. At some point, I harboured the thought that it is some of these youth that transform into bandits in the depth of the night ( I am just thinking loud). The presence of heavy duty trucks on our highways on a daily basis has helped in destroying the surfaces of these roads. If only our government will think of alternative means of transportation, it will reduce the stress on the highways. The late president Umaru Musa YarAdua in his first address to the nation after he was declared winner of the 2007 presidential election declared a state of emergency on the power sector. Even though the declaration did not save the power sector, it opened my eyes to the fact that state of emergency can be declared on a particular organ of government. I still wonder why state of emergency is yet to be declared on corruption in Nigeria. I am of the belief that the dualisation of all federal roads in the country will reduce the number of accidents on our highways. If all the monies shared in government houses across the country and in Aso Rock I wish a government will one day think towards that direction, may be that will make our politicians to trust our roads once again and the people will not have to say their last prayers before embarking on a journey.