Nats Onoja Agbo
IT is no secret that in Nigeria, government ministers are quite busy. They are usually so busy that sometimes files gather dust on their tables for months, except of course if there is somebody to follow up with the files. If you send a letter to a Nigerian minister without receiving immediate acknowledgment from his officials, there is every likelihood that that letter will not get any reply.
That was my presumption until a few weeks ago when I received a call from Ambassador Dickson Akor, founder of the Nigeria Peace Corps. In a very few words, he told me that a letter I wrote to Chief Babatunde Raji Fashola (SAN), Honourable Minister of Power, Works and Housing on the pitiable state of the Ogobia-Onyagede-Ankpa road had reached a stage where my attention was needed in Abuja.
I was surprised at the disclosure. “Is it possible for a Minister of the Federal Republic of Nigeria to act on a letter that was written by a fellow Nigerian that is not in politics?” I asked myself. Below are the particulars of the case.
On 12 July 2017, I posted a letter from the General Post Office in Surulere, Lagos; it was addressed to Chief Babatunde Raji Fashola, SAN, Honourable Minister of Power, Works and Housing, Mabushi-Abuja. In the said letter, I drew the Honourable Minister’s attention to the worsening condition of the Otukpo-Ogobia-Onyagede-Ankpa road, which links Benue State to Kogi State as well as states in the South-West and South-South.
The road leads to and through many big rural markets including Afor-Ogobia, Ede-Okwudu, Ukwo-Ugboju, Ede-Onyagede and Afor-Awowo.
The Ede-Onyagede attracts traders from far and wide, some of them in pursuit of the famous Onyagede Garri, which is reputed to be the best-produced in the country. The road is, therefore, of economic value to the people of the affected communities and other general road users.
The road was first constructed in the 1960s to provide easy access to the coal mines at Okaba in the present Ankpa Local Government Area of Kogi State. After several years of usage, the stretch of the road from Ogobia to Ankpa failed.
Reconstruction of the road commenced during the regime of General Sani Abacha and was completed during the administration of President Olusegun Obasanjo at the cost of more than N400 million. Barely two years after its construction by SATRECO, however, the road started failing and is now in a state of disrepair.
The Otukpo-Ogobia end of the road was constructed as part of the Yahe-Oju-Otukpo-Oweto road, but the Ogobia-Onyagede-Ankpa section is now a nightmare for motorists. Traveling along the Ogobia-Onyagede-Ankpa section of the road which could be completed in less than 45 minutes now takes motorists more than four hours.
Three years ago, the Federal Emergency Roads Management Agency (FERMA), responded to protests by road users over its condition and patched portions of the road. It didn’t take long before the patched portions of the road also failed and became worse than other portions of the road that did not enjoy that privilege. In reaction, taxi drivers and other motorists abandoned the once-busy road.
I specifically requested that the Honourable Minister should visit the said road to assess the situation and ensure the reconstruction of the road to save the people of Ohimini, Otukpo and Ankpa Local Government Areas from the pains of traveling on the road.
A few days after the letter reached his office, the minister worked on it, directing that the scope of work on the road be assessed in order to recommend action and cost of the project. To my surprise, all the desk officers involved in carrying out his directive acted with precision and concluded their assignments, including assessment of the volume of work on the road and the cost of its reconstruction.
With a little effort, contract for the reconstruction of that road would have found favour with the 2017 Appropriation Act but it did not. My reminder, dated March 15, 2018 also received immediate attention of the Honourable Minister.
Fashola’s prompt action on my letters of January 12, 2017 and March 15, 2018 gives me hope that there are still politicians who are ready to provide selfless services to the people of Nigeria, irrespective of their language or location. At last, there is hope that you don’t need to be a politician or a politician’s friend or relation to enjoy government patronage.
Although the road has not been contracted out for reconstruction, I am hopeful that very soon, the federal government will ensure that it gets the needed attention. All I can say at this stage is: thank you, Fashola for changing my perception of politics and politicians.
Agbo writes via [email protected]