Former Labour Party presidential candidate Peter Obi has urged the federal government to prioritize the completion of existing projects rather than initiating new ones.
Speaking on Saturday after a challenging road journey from Kogi State, Obi emphasized the urgent need for infrastructure improvement in Nigeria. He reiterated his concerns regarding the Lagos-Calabar highway project, warning that it would divert resources from critical areas and contribute to the growing list of abandoned initiatives.
Obi’s trip highlighted the poor state of the nation’s roads. The journey, which typically takes about three and a half hours, stretched to over seven hours due to impassable routes. He described the exhausting experience of navigating through Obollo Afor, Otukpa Branch, Ejule, and Anyigba, and noted that his return trip via Ogugu and Enugu-Ezike took nearly seven hours as well.
He recalled similar frustrations on other routes, such as a four-hour journey from Calabar to Uyo and treacherous conditions on the East-West Road between Port Harcourt and Bayelsa. In August, he experienced significant delays on the Kaduna bypass during a trip from Abuja to Kaduna.
Obi expressed disappointment with the state of roads like the Benin-Auchi route, describing it as “excruciating.” He acknowledged that while these issues cannot be resolved overnight, there needs to be a strong commitment from the government to alleviate the difficulties faced by travelers.
He concluded by urging the allocation of resources toward improving existing road infrastructure to ease the burden on commuters instead of launching new projects.
