Cross River Official Seeks Transfer Of Federal Roads To States

The Federal Government has been charged to hand over the management of federal roads to states for accountability and improved management.

Vice Chairman of the Cross River State Planning Commission, Dr. Bong Duke, made the call at a one-day public lecture on “People Governance Policy,” organised by the Good Governance Advocacy International (GGAI) in Calabar, Cross River State capital.

Duke argued that the subnational governments were already intervening in maintaining these federal roads, stressing that the time has ripe for states to take their full control.

He added that transferring the roads to state governments will improve accountability and force governors to account for the condition of roads in their respective states.

“Why do we have federal roads? As a planner, I do not support the idea of federal roads,” he said.

“When will the road user in Ikom go to Abuja to hold the works minister accountable? The road is called a federal road, but the state government is doing interventions.

“Rural people do not distinguish between federal and state roads; they blame the governor for bad conditions. These roads should be given to the states so they can be held accountable.”

Duke added that the programmes of the current administration in the state were designed to be people centric and be judged by their impact.

“Projects without direct impact on the people are useless,” he stressed.

In his remarks, Director General of GGAI, Bar. Leonard Anyogo, stated that policy crises lead to poor leadership and under development, which prompted the lecture’s theme.

“Good governance is not rocket science; it is about policies that improve citizens’ quality of life,” he said.