By Olasunkanmi Akoni
The Action Congress (AC) has stressed the need for the Federal Government to hand over all federal highways to the respective states where they are situated for proper  maintenance.

Similarly, a Non-Governmental Organisation, Campaign Against Immunity, has described as laudable, the actions taken by the Federal Government two weeks after it raised an alarm over the dilapidated condition of federal roads in Lagos State, even as it warned that efforts to rehabilitate the Third Mainland Bridge should be properly co-ordinated to avoid creating chaotic traffic situation.

According to Publicity Secretary, Lagos chapter of AC, Mr Joe Igbokwe, the handover became necessary following the continued deterioration of federal highways across the states.

He said: “It is becoming obvious that the Federal Government has given up on the task of maintaining the federal highways, which have become death traps and threaten the lives and well-being of Nigerians.

“Therefore, we insist that states are best suited to give adequate and proper maintenance of roads in their respective territories and that since the Federal Government is not providing answers to this poor state, it should hand over the roads to the states for maintenance.

“We cannot continue watching helplessly as our roads become impassable while the government sits and watches in utter helplessness.

“When we view the fact that the Federal Government has its hands in so many pies without satisfactorily discharging most of its responsibilities, we see no reason why it should hold tight to the maintenance of roads where it had proved grossly incapable.

“We state that the only way out is for the Federal Government to build new federal roads and handover the maintenance to the state governments where such roads are situated. In making this, we call that the Federal Government should also make available to the states the funds for the maintenance of these roads.

“The condition of federal roads in the East, North, West and South continues getting worse by the day. Countless lives and property of Nigerians are wasted on these death traps and from all seeming indications, the Federal Government seems completely overwhelmed by the demands of our roads that they are doing practically nothing to redeem the deteriorating state of our roads,” he said.

On the Third Mainland Bridge, National Co-ordinator of Campaign Against Immunity, Mr Shina Loremikan, said it observed that repair work had started causing traffic jam from the West-end of the 11-kilometre, from Osborne-Idumagbo-Oworonshoki axis, the development, it said, had become a thing of concern to road users.