The Cross River State Government has urged the Federal Government to relinquish ownership and control of federal roads to state governments to enhance efficiency, accountability, and timely maintenance.
Chairman of the Cross River State Planning Commission, Dr Bong Duke, made the appeal at a public lecture on People Governance Policy held in Calabar, where he presented a paper titled Recalibrating the Compass of Development in Nigeria.
Dr Duke decried the deplorable condition of many federal highways across the country, lamenting that agencies responsible for their upkeep have failed to rehabilitate them over the years. He argued that it was illogical for the Federal Government to continue managing roads that serve primarily state residents.
“I personally do not support the ideology of ‘federal roads.’ It is not federal officials or politicians who use these roads daily but the people within the states,” he said.
He noted that the Cross River State Government had already taken steps to intervene in the maintenance of such roads within its territory for the welfare of its citizens.
According to him, transferring control to state governments would ensure greater accountability and better service delivery. “Every road should be under state control so that citizens can hold their governors responsible. It’s unrealistic to expect road users to go to Abuja to hold the Minister of Works accountable,” he stated.
Duke further observed that most rural dwellers could not differentiate between federal and state roads, yet they often blamed state governments for the poor state of infrastructure.
“For this reason, the Federal Government should transfer management of these roads to the states along with the funds meant for their maintenance,” he added.
He maintained that such a decentralised approach would not only promote efficiency but also align with the principles of true federalism, where states are empowered to manage their resources and infrastructure effectively.
