The statement that roads in the country are not as bad as they are portrayed, attributed to Babatunde Fashola, Minister for Works and Housing, has earned him a response from a member of the House of Representatives, Bamidele Salam.

Mr Salam (PDP–Ede North/Ede South/Egbedore/Ejigbo federal constituency) challenged Mr. Fashola and other relevant stakeholders to boycott air travels for road ones for the next 90 days in order to estimate the ratio of good to bad roads in the country.

Mr Fashola had on Wednesday while addressing state house correspondents after the Federal Executive Council (FEC) meeting, said: “The roads (in the country) are not as bad as they are often portrayed. I know that this is going to be your headline, but the roads are not that bad.”

The gauntlet

But Mr Salam, while speaking with journalists Thursday, chided the minister.

“I found this statement, which had been repeated by the Hon Minister at least on two previous occasions as a clear indication that some of us in public offices are not at all in tune with the horrendous realities of our fellow citizens’ daily experience.

“Appreciating what Nigerians go through on our bad roads daily, requires that public office holders put themselves in the shoes of the average Nigerian and get a firsthand experience of how Nigerians survive on a daily basis.”
The rep member said “it is only when the minister, as well as other relevant stakeholder, travel the roads in the country for a reasonable length of time would they understand the yearnings of Nigerians.

“As a Member of the House of Representatives Committee on Works, I will be throwing a road travel challenge to the Hon Minister and all persons concerned to avoid air travel for all local trips in the next 90 days.

“If we will agree to this challenge, we may come back with a better appreciation of the true state of our road infrastructure and the desperate things we need to do to save our economy from further disruptions as a result of the burgeoning crisis in the road transportation sector,” he said.
Meanwhile, the minister’s description of a bad road has received strong pushback from Nigerians, many of whom ply the roads.

Road mishaps, which also led to the recent inferno that razed a market in Onitsha, have been attributed to be a function of, apart from reckless driving, the deplorable roads that litter the country.

The Federal Road Safety Corps says that at least 1,618 people have lost their lives through road accidents between December 2018 and February 2019.

‘Reality check’

Nigerians on social media advised Mr Fashola to do a reality check on the said roads and not mere verbal assessment of them, with some offering to show him around.

Here are some of their reactions on Twitter:

I volunteer to take @tundefashola on a road trip throughout Nigeria with cameramen & all the media coverage needed. Bill on me Honorable Minister Sir.

Let’s show Nigerians what an honourable man you are by saying Nigerian roads aren’t as bad as people make them out to be. Deal?

Source https://www.premiumtimesng.com/news/headlines/361446-rep-member-challenges-fashola-to-90-day-road-travel-tour.html

Everybody under this APC government is a chronic liar in its own class.Fashola is a monumental failure as minister.

Fashola should start from Enugu to Onitsha
Yenagoa/Mbiama to Port Harcourt
Suleija to Minna
Akwanga to Jos
Ikeja to Abeokuta

I am sure when he returns, he will apologize to all Nigerians on his insensitive comment.

My name and info was wrongly spelt in nysc dat since january this year i only got to know around june after to amd fro trips to student affairs and alnost causing a scene. Out of frustration and desperation,i registered in batch b around june this year and was given exemption due to age.i drafted a letter again to dean stating that i graduated at 26 in 2012 so why am i being exempted. But till date my dashboard has still not changed from exemption,my names not spelt correctly and date of graduation still error reading 2017 instead of 2012. Is there anyway out,can i still serve if theres a chance to edit my age.pls i need honest response.

No one hears the truth when you are up there. Take a walk down the memory lane and see for urself Mr Ola

Oga fashola

We await your reply

Forget about the challenge he isn't going to dare. They all know the condition of the road.


Meanwhile, You can naturally end quick release, weak attention, etc. Click Here

Fashola accept the challenge if you are brave enough. Only Aba-ph road will humble u

Nice one.. Sensible swners are rare. This man here should be the kind of man they asslick, not the bullion van froggy.

Over to you sir, it will be a great way to do on the spot assessment.
Personally I think there is another Nigeria in Nigeria.

90 days too much na. You want make him just die like fowl? 15 days is okay.

What we lack in Nigeria is Maintenance culture, we wait till the pot hole is big enough, or the crack is wide enough, look at all our stadiums today, Just look at EKEDC that we complained to about our transformer sparking and smelling of burnt wire, the idiots asked if we still have light, I said yes, the next thing he said was, the time make we come never reach...I was like WTF, just because you want to collect Money from people, the transformer must exploded before it can be attended too, Nigeria my country.

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Racoon:
Everybody under this APC government is a chronic liar in its own class.Fashola is a monumental failure as minister.

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Agreed that APC and PDP are cut from the same coat of political failure, APC took it to another dimension with it's delusional lies.

Even their zombies on this platform are having mental shocks with these bare-faced lies. Some though, can be redeemed like the idîot who commented above me.

Rep. Member, waiting for Fashola to agree to your challenge is almost like waiting for Christ to come. O.Y.O

Who will take this challenge
Nigeria my country

That will make a whole Lot of Sense,
So that he Stop making Unguided Utterances

I concur, let him start from Abuja to Lokoja then to Lagos... He will rimember his parents suffering!
#IHateNonsenseTalk
Mtcheeew

nice challenge...fashola go juat Dey spew trash for mouth....from oshodi to Isolo na war on its own

Fashola the shameless pigeon headed man

Mumu nigerians, u want to waste more lives in 90 days just for report. Simply give him 1 week to get a report of de condition of roads in Nigeria.

Always under the corridors of power ,how will he know the roads are bad . From Ac car to Ac aircraft to Ac office. He visits his friends that lives in a very well reserved area . How will you know the roads are bad . Honestly, this country tire me.

I used to admire Fashola alot when he was Lagos State governor; but he's been showing how much he is like the other politicians lately. I can't even talk much i sha know they are all bastardsss fighting for their personal interests including this one challenging him.

This Fashola eh.... This ministerial post have exposed him.... We would have thought he is a presidential material.




Fear North

Ordinary Ikeja under bridge to Pen Cinema will humble him.

Fashola is irritating me right now.

Please, forgive fashola he is a typical Nigerian. All we care is our garri ....

Why won’t he said that ‘Nigeria roads are not that bad’. The words has been resonating in my mind and I wish I can make it stop!
It proves that these bunch of leaders we have here don’t use roads except from house (which is always a stone throw from office) to office, airport or commissioning of half baked projects

Fashola should be Bann to use flight when traveling, he should be travelling by road only.

Nice counter Mr Rep.

Not that fellow above going off point

A very good challenge. These government officials talk as if they are not in Nigeria or their audience not in Nigeria.