By Dayo Johnson Akure

A former Commissioner for Works, in Ondo state, Dr. Gboye Adegbenro, has traced the recurring roads failure and other infrastructure across Nigeria to compromised professional standards, weak maintenance culture and poor supervision.

Speaking with newsmen in ilara- Mokin, Adegbenro, said the country’s infrastructure crisis is largely self-inflicted by professionals who cut corners and abandon established standards in pursuit of personal gain.

Adegbenro argued that while government policies matter, engineers, architects and regulatory bodies have a greater responsibility for the quality of construction delivered to Nigerians.

He identified Nigeria’s poor maintenance culture as a major contributor to infrastructure failure, which contrasted the situation with practices in developed countries.

According to him, local councils are responsible for roads within their jurisdictions and routinely inspect and maintain them in the advanced countries.

The former commissioner said “In Nigeria, the Federal Ministry of Works is expected to oversee thousands of roads across the country. It is unrealistic. You cannot fix what you do not see,”

While saying that federal officials were often unaware of the true condition of roads outside major corridors, Adegbenro cited the sections of the Lagos–Ibadan expressway where newly completed portions failed within two years, describing such failures as professional negligence rather than government failure.

According to him “Are we going to blame government for bad designs and poor supervision? No. It is the fault of the engineers and consultants who compromised standards.

He criticised the practice of awarding projects without proper laboratory tests and professional scrutiny, alleging that funds meant for quality assurance are often diverted.

“Instead of soil tests and laboratory analysis, money is shared and work is done anyhow. Corruption is at the heart of it,”

Adegbenro who also faulted the overlap of responsibilities among federal agencies, noting that the Federal Road Maintenance Agency (FERMA) has strayed from its core mandate of maintenance into construction, creating confusion and inefficiency.

Speaking on project execution, the former commissioner, urged governments to prioritise quality over political showmanship.

“If the government cannot dualise long highways, let them build a single carriageway properly.

“Roads constructed decades ago lasted longer than many recent ones. If you can only do 20 kilometres, do it well and stop,” he advised.

Adegbenro also condemned the widespread abandonment of projects due to changes in political leadership, calling for legislation to ensure continuity of public projects regardless of administration.

He called for clearer delineation of responsibilities among the three tiers of government, advocating for greater involvement of local governments in road management.

“Abandoned projects are a waste of taxpayers’ money. A new governor should not abandon a project simply because it was started by his predecessor.

“Local governments know their roads better and can maintain them effectively. This is how it is done all over the world,”

Speaking on the debate between concrete and asphalt roads, Adegbenro said that ” voncrete roads are expensive, but if they are not properly done, we are back to square one. The real issue is supervision, testing and integrity,” he stressed.

The former commissioner appealed to government at all levels to engage competent professionals, strengthen regulatory oversight and resist political and personal interests that undermine infrastructure development.

Adegbenro therefore declared that “If we do the right thing, our roads will last. God will help us.