FG should fix our daily roads first before coastal highways – Frank Chike Okoli

Frank Chike Okoli aspired for the Orumba North/South Federal Constituency of Anambra State, under the Nigeria Democratic Congress (NDC). In a press interview with selected journalists on Thursday in Abuja, he decried what he called “misplaced priorities and bad governance” in Nigeria’s road infrastructure policy, contrasting new coastal highway projects with the daily suffering on federal and state roads. Our Correspondent, was there. Read the excerpts: 

Sir, you spoke about “two stories of roads” in Nigeria. What did you mean?  

Across Nigeria today, we have two stories. The first is the story of grand, new coastal highways announced with fanfare, ribbon cuttings, and big projections. The second is the story of the roads we use every day: roads to the farm, to the market, to school, to hospital. Roads filled with potholes, gullies, and grief. The question is: What is our priority?

How bad is the situation on our daily roads?  

Every morning, millions leave home to face roads that have become death traps. Trailers fall and crush lives. Buses spend hours navigating craters. Food rots in transit because it takes too long to move from farm to city. Businesses lose money on constant vehicle repairs. Pregnant women lose babies in ambulances stuck on bad roads.

You said these are not just statistics. Can you explain? 

These are fathers, mothers, students, and traders. These are the roads that power our economy and daily lives. When they fail, the entire country feels it in the price of food, the cost of transport, and the loss of human lives. Yet year after year, these roads remain unattended to.

Are you against the coastal highway project?

I am not against development. A coastal highway can open new economic corridors, boost tourism, and connect communities. Every nation needs visionary infrastructure. But governance is about sequencing and priority. It is about fixing the roof before building a new wing on the house.

Why do you call it “misplaced priority”? 

When the roads that carry the majority of our people and goods are in a state of collapse, to start a new mega project without a clear plan to fix existing ones sends a dangerous message. It tells the ordinary Nigerian that the government sees them, but does not feel them. That is the definition of misplaced priority.

How do you define “bad governance” in this context? 

Bad governance is not just corruption. It is also poor judgment. It is choosing optics over impact. It is choosing what looks good on a billboard over what works on the ground.

Can you give examples of bad governance in road management? 

Yes. One, No Maintenance Culture: We build roads but refuse to maintain them, so we end up rebuilding the same road again and again. Two, Lack of Consultation: Projects are announced without asking the people who use the roads daily what their most urgent need is. Three, No Accountability: Contractors deliver substandard work and are not held responsible. Four, Ignoring the Masses: The farmer in Benue, the trader in Onitsha, the students in Kano do not use coastal highways daily. They use federal and state roads that have been abandoned.

What should be the government’s priority right now?  

The priority must be the people. The priority must be functionality before the monument.

What is your first recommendation?

First, the government must conduct a full audit of all federal roads and classify them by urgency. The roads that carry the most traffic, move the most food, and connect the most people must come first.

How can we ensure quality in road projects? 

Second, there must be transparency in contracting and strict supervision. A road should not be commissioned if it cannot last.

What about maintenance?  

Third, we must fund maintenance deliberately. Set aside money every year specifically to keep existing roads motorable.

So there is no place for mega projects like coastal highways? 

Yes, we can plan for big projects like coastal highways. But let it be done with a clear timeline, with proper funding, and without abandoning the roads that millions depend on today.

What is your message to the current government?  

A government that ignores the pothole in front of a citizen’s house but announces a highway far away has lost touch.

How should we measure good governance?  

The true measure of governance is not the size of the project you announce. It is the quality of life of the people you serve.

What is your call to action?  

Fix our daily roads. Make them safe. Make them passable. Let food move. Let people move. Let businesses thrive. Then we can talk about coastal highways with pride, knowing that no Nigerian was left behind on the way there.

Final words, sir? 

Because governance is not about grand announcements. Governance is about good roads, and good decisions. May God bless the Federal Republic of Nigeria.