Kobojunkie:

85% of deaths in Ekiti? How did you ascertain that this is most definitely the problem in Ekiti?

Not saying even remote areas do not need roads, but when you have very very limited resources, you have to be prudent in what you use em for. Road projects are no solutions to economic problems, and they are certainly not going to bring jobs in to Ekiti, in case anyone is thinking to say that next.

Just a quick trip back to the past, states like Ondo, Oyo, Ogun and much of Kwara also had fairly good roads(especially when compared to the not so good roads in places like Bendel state etc. However, those good roads did not bring in needed development, as people still had to go outside of the state to get their goods and services.
For example, the Ogun state that you know today was open even back BUT 30 years later, the state is struggling to bring in well needed development. Is it because the roads to Ogun are bad? Balderdash . . . it is because the State hasn't really worked hard at developing it's economy as it did back before the 80's. Ogun used to be the state that would compete with Lagos.

I MEAN 85 PERCENT OF DEATH IN NIGERIA. Thank God someone in this thread mentioned agriculture as a way of providing jobs and improving the economy of ekiti, but how would run agriculture without providing good roads.....but don't also forget that someone in this thread also opposed industries in ekiti, so tell me how u will create employment. Don't also forget that good roads are one of the factors that attract investors(both local and foreign), electricity which is also a factor. You know each state, nation has her own development tactics or strategies, why not let us cross our fingers with hope that something good comes out..I BELIEVE IN NIGERIA.

well I can say he is enthusiastic about that project,in reality we need an airfield, not a full time international airport, I guess he will be told and if they don't tell him, well we will have to wait to see how he sources the funds or better still,he could borrow in the name of the state to execute the project and then watch his political opponents move in with the killer move of no 2nd term.Time will tell, but you need to know it is not easy being governor of this state,people criticize before they analyze, and you know people love to curse over the smallest issues.

f i o:

I MEAN 85 PERCENT OF DEATH IN NIGERIA. Thank God someone in this thread mentioned agriculture as a way of providing jobs and improving the economy of ekiti, but how would run agriculture without providing good roads.....but don't also forget that someone in this thread also opposed industries in ekiti, so tell me how u will create employment. Don't also forget that good roads are one of the factors that attract investors(both local and foreign), electricity which is also a factor. You know each state, nation has her own development tactics or strategies, why not let us cross our fingers with hope that something good comes out..I BELIEVE IN NIGERIA.

So far Ekiti has not had any problems delivering agricultural goods to the market, so I don't think you can argue that the state has terribly bad roads that have hindered it's development.

And I am sure you have also read someone mention that the previous governor also invested in road constructing the very same state as well. So I don't think terrible bad roads is what ails that state at this point in it's development.

If good roads contributed as much, as you presume, to attraction of investors, then do you not think that states up north, many of them with some of the best road conditions in the country as a whole (since the last 20 years at least) would be seriously developed at this point?? Most of these states have roads that are rarely used given that the vast majority of the population cannot even afford cars of their own.

How long are you going to cross your fingers while the same old tactics continue being applied with the same old results at the end of the day, rinse-and-repeat? For pete's sake, road construction projects are not worth considering achievements especially in a country where every administration seems only to focus on that and not much else, while the local economy continues to decay.

I believe in Nigeria too but I don't believe in beating at the same old rock that has failed time and time again, expecting magic to make things work at the end of the day.

Methinks Fayemi needs to be more focused on electricity.
Ask any resident of Ado - Ekiti and you will discover that electricity is topmost on their wish list.
No matter what everyone believes, some of those achievements he is touting are actually propaganda.

chino24: See yoroobas with their clueless and clownish leaders. Please show us completed projectd

tribalists! They are @ it again, tell me one thing ur own governor has done...when someone is doin something good be happy, no future for tribalists.

PapaBrowne:

We would remain in the same place if we keep being emotional about issues. Even if corruption stops abruptly today, Ekiti doesn't have enough money to build adequate infrastructure. A simple rail project would consume the entire Ekiti allocation for 2 years! Ekiti has a monthly allocation of about 3 Billion. That is less than Dangote's daily turnover.
The reason other countries are getting results is because they have a practical economy where income is generated through taxes and other innovative methods. Lets build that practical economy first, other things would follow suit.
We need to get practical and focus on areas where we have competitive advatage.

Incase you don't know, Milk(Dairy) built Denmark. From milk, they built a host of other industries. They had to export their excess milk, so a shipping industry was built. They had to package the milk in tins, so an industry was built around aluminium. They developed enzymes, butter, yoghurt, and a host of other more sophisticated industries around milk. Today Denmark exports $2.5 Billion worth of Dairy products yearly. Thats a country of barely 6 million people.

Well, as long as we continue to depend 100% on Federal allocaton for everything, then we should be contented with being unproductive and poor. I was miffed by your reference to geography as a barrier to industrialization in Ekiti. Do you really believe that?

ekt_bear: Kilode, if you believe that there was nothing we disagreed about, then with no offense intended, you need to reread what was written.

His perspective prior to this last post was radically different from mine. And also wrong.

I read it, I guess both of your clarifications made your arguments seem the same to me. Maybe I did not read well, that was just how I saw it. Anyway, that's not too important.

Is there really any State Governor in Nigeria that has fixed or can fix the Electricity problem in their state?

I'm not aware of one. I'll like to be educated though.

Nigeria has a centralized Electrical infrastructure, from policy to pricing, everything is controlled from Abuja. Except something changed while I was sleeping yesterday sha.

Kilode?!:
Is there really any State Governor in Nigeria that has fixed or can fix the Electricity problem in their state?

I'm not aware of one. I'll like to be educated though.

Nigeria has a centralized Electrical infrastructure, from policy to pricing, everything is controlled from Abuja. Except something changed while I was sleeping yesterday sha.

More reason why all Nigerians must work together to dismantle the Abuja behemoth. It is stifling and a serious clog in the wheel of development of Nigeria. Let those who are serious about generating their own power do so and use it as they wish. Decentralize into viable political and economic units, period.

When you have the constitutional powers given to the FG to control just about "EVERYTHING" Nigeria cannot move forward. Abuja powers needs to be reduced to a minimum; states should exercise authority from power and energy to transportation, education and healthcare.

Well, as long as we continue to depend 100% on Federal allocaton for everything, then we should be contented with being unproductive and poor. I was miffed by your reference to geography as a barrier to industrialization in Ekiti. Do you really believe that?

Look at the map below. That is China with all its major cities. They are all clustered around the coast.
Coastal areas tend to favor investments more than the hinterland. 80% of the world's top cities are coastal. Mention all the major cities in U.S, you'll find that geography is a major determining factor in industrailization.

Industries becomes more expensive as they move further than down the coast. Industrialization means more than just manufacturing. You would need to have a very reliable logistic base to have effective industrialization. For Instance, You can't build an effective Free Trade zone in the hinterland.

Kobojunkie:

So far Ekiti has not had any problems delivering agricultural goods to the market, so I don't think you can argue that the state has terribly bad roads that have hindered it's development.

And I am sure you have also read someone mention that the previous governor also invested in road constructing the very same state as well. So I don't think terrible bad roads is what ails that state at this point in it's development.

If good roads contributed as much, as you presume, to attraction of investors, then do you not think that states up north, many of them with some of the best road conditions in the country as a whole (since the last 20 years at least) would be seriously developed at this point?? Most of these states have roads that are rarely used given that the vast majority of the population cannot even afford cars of their own.

How long are you going to cross your fingers while the same old tactics continue being applied with the same old results at the end of the day, rinse-and-repeat? For pete's sake, road construction projects are not worth considering achievements especially in a country where every administration seems only to focus on that and not much else, while the local economy continues to decay.

I believe in Nigeria too but I don't believe in beating at the same old rock that has failed time and time again, expecting magic to make things work at the end of the day.

u're right, but such development is not something we can ignore. ekiti road is a problem, only those living there can testify. Simply bcoz someone has done it and failed doen't make is own case inevitable too, U made mention of the North, u see, mentality, vission, future expectations differs a lot among our leaders(expecially north and south), our concern should be where he will go from there before we start critisizing. @ LEAST HE IS DOING SOMETHING, WHAT IF HE LOOTS INSTEAD?

I think this is a fluid demonstration of how diasporan Nigerians egotistically ruin threads with diversionary and , frankly, unhelpful talk. If you people don't live in Nigeria, don't you visit enough to know why, very obviously, some can get very excited at the thought of vastly improved motorable roads? Do you guys appreciate what is on ground currently , as first hand users, to be able to put issues in perspective? You guys should get over yourselves and stop talking about caviar to a man who cannot even afford bread.

We should be looking at this issue purely from the perspective of how planned works will improve transport in Ekiti State vis-a-vis an agenda of overall development. All I see here is just pompous pontifications from folks far removed from the hell of Nigeria to the extent they don't appreciate what substantial development of road infrastructure can do for most Nigerian State. The only contribution I have found useful and pertinent here are those that confirm that work is indeed going on. I would also welcome the input of Ekiti folks on the ground who know what the planned work will portend for the amelioration of the transport woes in the State. What is written below ,allied with the reality some of us know first hand, means that grounded folk and end users will have no time for pompously over-intellectualising simple issues.

http://nationalmirroronline.net/news/18305.html

‘Only 15 % Nigerian roads are motorable’

WALE FOLARIN 11/08/2011 00:48:00

Only 15 per cent out of the more than 160,000 kilometres of secondary and tertiary roads across Nigeria are motorable, the Rural Access and Mobility Project (RAMP) of the Federal Ministry of Agriculture have said. National Co-ordinator of RAMP, Engr. Ubandoma Ularamu, who made this disclosure in Osogbo, Osun State capital yesterday, while presenting his address at the opening ceremony of the 2010 RAMP Annual Retreat and Review meeting, said that, about 70 per cent of Local Government roads are the worst affected.

“Out of over 160,000 kilometre of secondary and tertiary roads in Nigeria, with an average registered network of 4,000 kilometres per state, only about 10 – 15 per cent is paved. While a large proportion of this network remains in poor or very poor condition with only 15 per cent of federal roads in good condition, it is sad to note that rural roads which are statutorily referred to as local government roads which constitutes about 132,000 kilometres (67.7per cent) of the entire road networks in Nigeria is the worst hit by this state of disrepair”, he said. Ularamu lamented that the deplorable state of rural roads across the nation, have continued to impact negatively on the national economy, adding that farmers continued to face the challenges of “high transport cost, long travel time, huge post-harvest losses, and high rate of auto-accidents”. He further stated that about 132,000 kilometres studies carried out in 2006 revealed that about 20 per cent of total agriculture production never reached the market as a result of the bad roads.

While noting that RAMP had proved to be a huge success in the Kaduna and Cross River States Ularamu said that other states have shown interest in the project. Decrying the low level of public expenditure on road construction and rehabilitation, he stressed that government alone could not shoulder the responsibilities of making roads pliable using the RAMP strategies, adding that state government wishing to participate in RAMP, must comply with governance and fiduciary issues including fiscal responsibility and transparency in the management of public funds. Osun State Governor Rauf Aregbesola, who was represented by his Deputy, Otunba Grace Titilayo Laoye-Tomori pointed out that rural road development was central to development agenda of his administration

http://www.frscinsight.com/?p=9963

The deplorable state of roads

FRUSTRATED by the deplorable state of major highways in the country, members of the Tanker Drivers Union (TDU) in Cross River State embarked on strike the other day, to draw attention to the suffering of their members as a result of dilapidated roads. The strike is legitimate if only to buttress the wide lamentation by Nigerians over the terrible condition of roads nationwide. [size=14pt]Nigerian roads have been classified as probably the worst in the world and members of the public go through hell daily on the roads commuting to and from work. In the process, many meet untimely death through accidents and stress. The condition of roads in the country is clearly another evidence of government failure.
[/size]
That the entire road infrastructure in the country has collapsed due to neglect and corruption is glaring. The three tiers of government have abdicated their responsibility and are wholly guilty. Motorists routinely go through great suffering, spending hours for journeys that should take minutes. With erosion washing away sections of roads that were built many decades ago, what is left is bare earth, with potholes and craters that endanger road users, especially, during the rainy season when flood compounds the problem. Traffic gridlock is a daily phenomenon on these bad roads, with the resultant loss of precious man-hours in traffic, truncation of business and physiological trauma.

Figures released by the Federal Roads Safety Corps (FRSC) show that road carnage has overtaken AIDS and malaria as the primary cause of death in Nigeria.

What is more worrisome is that government appears overwhelmed by the magnitude of the infrastructural decay. The Public-Private-Partnership (PPP) option that has been canvassed seems not to be working, as the Lagos-Ibadan highway contract awarded to Bi- Courtney since 2009, for instance, is yet to record any meaningful change.

Lamenting as Finance Minister, Ngozi Okonjo-Iweala did the other day when she said government needs a whopping N10.63 trillion for infrastructure, is not helpful. Government should take charge of the problem and present Nigerians with the solution through implementation of budgets earmarked for roads, and effective monitoring and supervision of the projects. What happens to budgets that are made for the roads and other infrastructure on yearly basis? Was the money judiciously spent? Did government punish anyone for abdication of duty or for breach of contract? Government should start from somewhere, break down the work into phases and deal steadfastly with the identified obstacles.

The strike action by the tanker drivers is not surprising, coming from a group that is regularly on the road conveying goods from one part of the country to another. But Nigerians as a whole feel the pinch of the bad roads, as they bear the cost ultimately.

The roads have been subjected to excessive pressure because there is no railway system. Bulk cargos that should normally be ferried by rail are being hauled through the roads. This has been going on for decades with government taking half-hearted steps to bring back the railway. Government should take concrete steps to restore the railway system to its past glory, reduce the pressure on the roads and generate employment. Similarly, there is need to develop and explore the country’s waterways to provide alternative means of movement and haulage.

To improve the roads, all that the country requires is a disciplined government, committed to making things work and bringing succour to the people. Both Federal and state governments should be worried that the nation’s roads have only got worse under their watch. To treat the bad roads as anything less than an emergency will amount to irresponsibility on the part of all concerned governments of the Federation. Nigerians are anxious to see positive change on the condition of roads. And the time to start is now that the dry season has set in

f i o:

u're right, but such development is not something we can ignore. ekiti road is a problem, only those living there can testify. Simply bcoz someone has done it and failed doen't make is own case inevitable too, U made mention of the North, u see, mentality, vission, future expectations differs a lot among our leaders(expecially north and south), our concern should be where he will go from there before we start critisizing. @ LEAST HE IS DOING SOMETHING, WHAT IF HE LOOTS INSTEAD?

Your claim that mentality, vision and the rest differ between North and South, is not so evident. Again, the fact is the decay in Nigeria spreads across all regions, so I beg to differ.

Our concern should be that the limited resources we have today should not again be wasted on projects that at the end of the day yield NOTHING, something we have become used to at this point. Criticize him/poke at his work/examine every step of the work that is being done . . . that is what you ought to do as a citizen in this democracy, as by doing so, you help ensure that the mistakes of the past are not repeated and the futures of your children, and their children will not continue to be flushed down the toilet.
If at the end of the day, it is business as usual, guess whose fault it really would be? Not his, but yours, that is how democracy is designed to work. At the end, the people only get what the people ask for and deserve.

PapaBrowne:
Look at the map below. That is China with all its major cities. They are all clustered around the coast.
Coastal areas tend to favor investments more than the hinterland. 80% of the world's top cities are coastal. Mention all the major cities in U.S, you'll find that geography is a major determining factor in industrailization.

Industries becomes more expensive as they move further than down the coast. Industrialization means more than just manufacturing. You would need to have a very reliable logistic base to have effective industrialization. For Instance, You can't build an effective Free Trade zone in the hinterland.

China is a really big country, Nigeria slightly larger than the state of Texas, Ekiti about 150 Kilometres from the nearest port in Lagos. If I place a Nigerian map alongside the chinese map you provided (Being on the same scale) Lagos and Ado-Ekiti will seem side by side, think about it.
If I go by your logic, the places refered to as US industrial heartland should never have existed.

^^^^
You are right sha.
I only just tried to prove the correlation between geography and industrialization.

Gbawe: I think this is a fluid demonstration of how diasporan Nigerians egotistically ruin threads with diversionary and , frankly, unhelpful talk. If you people don't live in Nigeria, don't you visit enough to know why, very obviously, some can get very excited at the thought of vastly improved motorable roads? Do you guys appreciate what is on ground currently , as first hand users, to be able to put issues in perspective? You guys should get over yourselves and stop talking about caviar to a man who cannot even afford bread.

We should be looking at this issue purely from the perspective of how planned works will improve transport in Ekiti State vis-a-vis an agenda of overall development. All I see here is just pompous pontifications from folks far removed from the hell Nigeria to the extent they don't appreciate what substantial development of road infrastructure can do for most Nigerian State. The only contribution I have found useful and pertinent here are those that confirm that work is indeed going on. I would also welcome the input of Ekiti folks on the ground who know what the planned work will portend for the amelioration of the transport woes in the State.

Go away!! You brought out a thread screaming "huge construction site" and you didn't put up a single picture. I told you "we" would not read it. So "we" didn't read it. Sowee, "we" have taken over the thread and "we" are discussing more important issues that cut across party lines. ACN this, ACN that! What we want is development whether it is from ACN or the republican party, we want development. So go away with your partisanship!

PapaBrowne:
Go away!! You brought out a thread screaming "huge construction site" and you didn't put up a single picture. I told you "we" would not read it. So "we" didn't read it. Sowee, "we" have taken over the thread and "we" are discussing more important issues that cut across party lines. ACN this, ACN that! What we want is development whether it is from ACN or the republican party, we want development. So go away with your partisanship!

Abeg, you should get lost. You are an example of the vacuous diasporan I am talking of. Why should I supply you with any pictures because I started a thread and supplied an article? This is on the official website of Ekiti State and any gracious person would at least have the maturity to avoid treating this issue with levity especially when they are as ignorant as you are.

Get it into your thick skull that your input, and those of other mischief makers, means absolutely nothing to me. Same as Edicolove's hateful rant about Fashola not carrying out a "single" drainage work was laughable since I will be the one enjoying rather superb drainage in my Surulere area of Lagos.

It would be good if folks like you just mind your own business if all you are going to be doing is asking folks for pictures regarding issues that are not your concern. You brought the ACN into this because of your deep bias that leads you to prejudicially attempt discrediting others and lampooning what could be genuine administrative effort worthy of commendation. I am just happy Ekiti folks may gain vastly improved transport infrastructure because I know first hand, as a driver and passenger, how hellish road transport is in many Nigerian States . Or do you wan't to take over from 'amebo' Beaf who is always in SW affairs? No SW person owes you any pictures . Believe what you want while they enjoy the built infrastructure discussed. That is good enough for me.

ekt_bear: @shymmex: You lure investors by presenting them with profitable opportunities.
If electricity costs the same (or even 20-30% more) in Ekiti that it costs in China...well the business opportunities are obvious..I don't need to spell them out, do I?

So you've reduced the problem of industrialization to solving electricity.

And assuming that the FG deregulates it fully, then this is something that the state government can do.

I don't understand the relevance of this Kosovo example...it has absolutely no relation to this thread or what I am talking about.

Where are these private investors going to come from?

I understand where you're coming from - but can Ekiti state afford the cost of generating electricity?

Bear in mind most foreign investors are not really interested in investing in Nigeria - apart from Lagos, Abuja, and SS (oil sector). Hence why I used Okorocha travelling to irrelevant countries (countries seeking foreign investors themselves) as an example, of how desperation for private investors can lead to wasteful spending (travel expenses) of tax payers money on irrelevant trips - to countries struggling for investors themselves.

Ekiti state needs to harness its potentials - which is obviously agriculture, and tourism for now - pending when the central distribution of electricity would be decentralized. More viable states like Lagos, Ogun, and Ondo - with resources to generate electricity can supply Ekiti state in future, from their excesses.

That's just my two cents.

Seriously, on this one, I unbeliavably have to agree with Kobo JUNKIe; building good roads has done very little to stimulate the economic activities in states that have taken that as a policy solution. I have been to states like zamfara, zaria and presently am in Sokoto, one thing I find common in all these states is the network of good roads scattered all over their towns, most of them are rarely used and experience minimal vehicula activities. Yet there is almost no serious economic activities witnessed in any of these states. Instead a place like Aba for instance with its huge infrastructural lack and directionless leadership continues to have huge economic activities and GDP.
May be it has to do with the active involvment and participation of its indigens to the economy of the state. Seriously, while it is very important that government does its own bit by building the required infastructures, the people in Ekiti will have to show faith too in the potentials of their state, they have to show the investors outside that the state can be economically viable if there is a geniune resolution. There should be a reverse in the way every local investor sets up in Lagos thereby killing any potential of neigbouring states in the region. The position of Lagos and its large population size should be taken advantage of by neigbouring states in the region and not the reverse where Lagos is sucking every opportunities from them. Ogun state for instance has been very disappointing in this regard giving the fact that it is very close to the Lagos market plus it has one of the largest wealthy Yoruba and Nigerian business men and women yet they would rather take their investment to Lagos than invest in Ogun state.
Contrary to that, many of the big time traders you see in places like ladipo, Balogun... Et al have strong branches in their home places like Onitsha, Aba, Porthacourt, Asaba, warri and co.
If you go to Nnwei and Aba in particular, most of the industries you see there are owned by the indigens. That is how to stimulate the growth of a state, these economic activites are what will actually draw other investors, outside professionals and the needed market to patronize the investment opportunities of the state and buy any goods produced in the state.
These are very practicable examples that do not need all those big talk of unrealistic industrilization scales that we all know are not in the reach of any of these states for now.

rhymz: Seriously, on this one, I unbeliavably have to agree with Kobo JUNKIe; building good roads has done very little to stimulate the economic activities in states that have taken that as a policy solution. I have been to states like zamfara, zaria and presently am in Sokoto, one thing I find common in all these states is the network of good roads scattered all over their towns, most of them are rarely used and experience minimal vehicula activities. Yet there is almost no serious economic activities witnessed in any of these states. Instead a place like Aba for instance with its huge infrastructural lack and directionless leadership continues to have huge economic activities and GDP.
May be it has to do with the active involvment and participation of its indigens to the economy of the state. Seriously, while it is very important that government does its own bit by building the required infastructures, the people in Ekiti will have to show faith too in the potentials of their state, they have to show the investors outside that the state can be economically viable if there is a geniune resolution. There should be a reverse in the way every local investor sets up in Lagos thereby killing any potential of neigbouring states in the region. The position of Lagos and its large population size should be taken advantage of by neigbouring states in the region and not the reverse where Lagos is sucking every opportunities from them. Ogun state for instance has been very disappointing in this regard giving the fact that it is very close to the Lagos market plus it has one of the largest wealthy Yoruba and Nigerian business men and women yet they would rather take their investment to Lagos than invest in Ogun state.
Contrary to that, many of the big time traders you see in places like ladipo, Balogun... Et al have strong branches in their home places like Onitsha, Aba, Porthacourt, Asaba, warri and co.
If you go to Nnwei and Aba in particular, most of the industries you see there are owned by the indigens. That is how to stimulate the growth of a state, these economic activites are what will actually draw other investors, outside professionals and the needed market to patronize the investment opportunities of the state and buy any goods produced in the state.
These are very practicable examples that do not need all those big talk of unrealistic industrilization scales that we all know are not in the reach of any of these states for now.

I don't believe that anyone is saying that road building will necessarily lead to increased business activities. The point is that you a good road to aid business activities. The government should do its part in developing infrastructure and then stimulate business activities through other means. The presence of goods roads is necessary for business but it is not a stimulant on its own.

For instance, two men both buy trucks to start 2 moving businesses. Mr A assumes that by having a truck, business will come to him and Mr B goes out to drum for business. At the end of the first year, Mr A only has 5k miles on his truck and $500 profit while Mr B has 75k on his truck and $7500 profit.

You do make a good point about indigenes being part of the development of state. You will find that Ogun state businessmen will probably have more business activities in Lagos than Lagos indigenes. Just like Dangote has more investments in Lagos than Kano. The governors in Nigeria are not doing enough but thats because most of them have no business being leaders.

Katsumoto:

I don't believe that anyone is saying that road building will necessarily lead to increased business activities. The point is that you a good road to aid business activities. The government should do its part in developing infrastructure and then stimulate business activities through other means. The presence of goods roads is necessary for business but it is not a stimulant on its own.

For instance, two men both buy trucks to start 2 moving businesses. Mr A assumes that by having a truck, business will come to him and Mr B goes out to drum for business. At the end of the first year, Mr A only has 5k miles on his truck and $500 profit while Mr B has 75k on his truck and $7500 profit.

You do make a good point about indigenes being part of the development of state. You will find that Ogun state businessmen will probably have more business activities in Lagos than Lagos indigenes. Just like Dangote has more investments in Lagos than Kano. The governors in Nigeria are not doing enough but thats because most of them have no business being leaders.

I agree with you as well but I just feel development in this 21st century should go beyond building and repairing roads. In fact, instead of just building roads, government can tie infrastructural development to their strategic importance to a particular sector where the state has comparative advantage. Giving the fact that the state is highly dependent on the pittance from Abuja, it can not afford to be embarking on projects that, yes are good but realy are not economically expedient. Like Kobo said, if transporting materials, goods and services have not been shown to be a major problem in the state then Ekiti state government giving their very lean pocket do not have any business "converting the state to a huge construction site". They should be more focused on projects that will have the needed effect on stimulating economic activities and attracting investors to the state. There is too much politics these days in the claims of road construction by state government that it gives the wrong impression that constructing roads is the biggest challenge to improving the economy and attracting investors.

rhymz: , if transporting materials, goods and services have not been shown to be a major problem in the state then Ekiti state government giving their very lean pocket do not have any business "converting the state to a huge construction site

But transportation is a huge problem in the state though, I've been there, i've seen it. Just like we have in many States in the South ( i've not travelled extensively in the North) Farm-to-town roads are terrible. Roads linking various towns are also in pretty bad shape. In fairness to him, Fayose reconstructed some city roads and a few inter-city ones, but they were not well maintained and they were poorly constructed.

Having said that, I've not seen these roads Fayemi is constructing, so I'll hold judgement until he's done. He needs to get really busy though. There's a lot to do.



Slightly off-topic: I Agree with the points being made about comparative advantage, it is key, but like Aigbofa and others alluded to, we will first need to deal with the "Elephant in the room" which is the structure of our pseudo-federal system. Until states and local govts get the power and authority to do many of the things presently cornered by Abuja, we will continue in this cycle of madness.

Ekiti villages definitely do not have terrible roads. I myself have been to some of the villages to purchase farm goods,for wholesale, from some of the markets/farmers out there, during Oni's years, and the roads were not terrible at all.

If you want example of terrible roads, try the road to some of the villages in Abia State.

Kobojunkie: Ekiti villages definitely do not have terrible roads. I myself have been to some of the villages to purchase farm goods,for wholesale, from some of the markets/farmers out there, during Oni's years, and the roads were not terrible at all.

Fallacy of Hasty generalisation

Kobojunkie: Ekiti villages definitely do not have terrible roads. I myself have been to some of the villages to purchase farm goods,for wholesale, from some of the markets/farmers out there, during Oni's years, and the roads were not terrible at all.

If you want example of terrible roads, try the road to some of the villages in Abia State.

What do you mean Ekiti roads are not terrible? Is it Ado to Ifaki to Otun down to kwara that is good? Is it Ado-Ikere-Akure road that is good? Is it Ado-Efon-Ijebu Ijesa road that is good? Is it Ado to Afao road that is motorable? Is it Ado to Ijesa Isu down to Ikole that is an express way? or you want to mention Ijero axis as a paragon of what a good road should be? The only good road in Ekiti is Ifaki to Ikole. It's funny how people on this thread say road construction is not an achievement in present day Nigeria where 85% of our roads are nothing to write home about. If it is not, then what's an achievement? You want him to be pouring money on intangibles like free education, free health, free this and that? What sound economic policy can you formulate without good infrastructure on ground like roads, etc?

Can we say because power supply can not be claimed as an achievement in Boston, any government that fix Nigerian epileptic power supply should not claim it as an achievement? Some of us still have modicum of regard for Fayose, despite his unstable political character, because his government largely focused on road construction and rehabilitation.

Ekiti is a rural state with great agric-business potential and you can not open up the state for business unless you have good transportation system chief among is motorable roads. Fayemi is moving in the right direction!

I've not had the opportunity to drive on Abia local roads. So maybe what I consider terrible is an expressway compared to those, who knows.

I wish there was a way to get images of these roads so those who are not aware can see for themselves. That a road is not cover in black shining tar in the sun DOES NOT then imply said road is not pliable. The Ado to Afao road for instance, I doubt the claim that the road is not pliable. So I went through the pain of finding a google map that could give us a seemingly good picture of said roads to Afao. Please go right ahead and tell us where the TERRIBLE points on the road is please? maybe we can narrow this down to the exact stretch that we need to focus on.


P.S. Many of the roads mentioned there are Federal Roads, not roads leading to villages. The Governor here is using limited state funds to dualize even a federal road, among other things. If the roads in Ekiti were in such a terrible state, as some would like us to believe, why then is the Government choosing to spend so much on dualizing Federal road, and neglecting these TERRIBLE local roads?

Ekiti State Governor Kayode Fayemi yesterday said the government would dualise the Ado-Akure road up to its boundary in Ikere-Ekiti. The road belongs to the Federal Government.

http://www.thenationonlineng.net/2011/index.php/news/44582-ekiti-pays-n275m-compensation-to-property-owners.html

Recent political developments in Ekiti State, and the inability of the Federal Government to reimburse the state the funds earlier expended on the construction of some federal roads are some of the factors delaying the reconstruction of the deplorable Ado-Otun-Kwara State Road.

http://archive.punchng.com/Articl.aspx?theartic=Art200609080465571

I am telling you, there were places in Abia( we tried to visit some of the village markets back some time ago) that are cut off from the rest of the state. I remember a couple of years back, erosion essentially destroyed the main road out of some of the villages and for months, nothing was done. That is terrible, driving over untarred, but still pliable road is not terrible(It is done even here in rural America).Terrible road is what you find mostly on the Highways(mostly Federal roads) with holes that could swallow up cars even or reduce the lifespan of any engine that attempts it.

Kobojunkie:

Your claim that mentality, vision and the rest differ between North and South, is not so evident. Again, the fact is the decay in Nigeria spreads across all regions, so I beg to differ.

Our concern should be that the limited resources we have today should not again be wasted on projects that at the end of the day yield NOTHING, something we have become used to at this point. Criticize him/poke at his work/examine every step of the work that is being done . . . that is what you ought to do as a citizen in this democracy, as by doing so, you help ensure that the mistakes of the past are not repeated and the futures of your children, and their children will not continue to be flushed down the toilet.
If at the end of the day, it is business as usual, guess whose fault it really would be? Not his, but yours, that is how democracy is designed to work. At the end, the people only get what the people ask for and deserve.

let me correct u, road projects are not waste of money, provision of infrastructures are neccessary but, because they can't provide yield don't mean u shuldn't do them(infrastructures don't provide yield, they provide happiness). Before u can do something that brings yield or employment u, must take care and eliminate little problems first. LIKE I SAID LET'S SEE WHERE HE WILL GO FROM HERE, DON'T LET US ASSUME ANYONE'S FALIURE, THIS IS ANOTHER PERSON.

Anyone who stays far away from Ekiti and comes online to talk ras should just come home and just take a ride from Ado Ekiti to Ikere Ekiti and turn back, then come here to give us his or her assessment of the government in Ekiti State.

Someone ill informed even mentioned the governor said he will dualise Ado Akure road - a road that is already dualised since Fayose but now in a very bad state - and these officials ride on these roads almost on a daily basis. Bull crap.

f i o:

let me correct u, road projects are not waste of money, provision of infrastructures are neccessary but, because they can't provide yield don't mean u shuldn't do them(infrastructures don't provide yield, they provide happiness). Before u can do something that brings yield or employment u, must take care and eliminate little problems first. LIKE I SAID LET'S SEE WHERE HE WILL GO FROM HERE, DON'T LET US ASSUME ANYONE'S FALIURE, THIS IS ANOTHER PERSON.

I think you should correct yourself first before you jump to correct others. You have been at this for a while now. Learn to read please. I don't see anyone saying road projects are a WASTE . . I am certain I have not made that statement anywhere to this point.

Infrastructure is not simply about road projects. Go to Katsina State for instance, there are fairly good roads in that state that seem to run on forever, yet if you sat down by one of those roads one day, you can count less than 100 cars in 24 hours using said road. And you know what else, those roads have been there for years but the local economy has not grown in all that time.

In Ekiti, the last administration equally spent billions of Ekiti money on the roads. The current administration seems more focused on federal road projects than the local roads in Ekiti that directly affect more of the Ekiti people on a regular basis. You ought to constantly query your government to ensure that your money is not being thrown down the toilet. I have said this before.

The State does not have unlimited funds and it does not have what Lagos has that it should the try to compare itself to Lagos and other wealthier states. It is a state that should, if anything, look inwards to use what it has to build itself. I don't know what the idea behind using the funds to build Federal roads is but I say it is very risky and I wonder if the risk is worth it.

Please like I said, I am not a fold-your-arms-and-wait kind of Nigeria, so please stop preaching that nonsense at me already.

rhymz:
I agree with you as well but I just feel development in this 21st century should go beyond building and repairing roads. In fact, instead of just building roads, government can tie infrastructural development to their strategic importance to a particular sector where the state has comparative advantage. Giving the fact that the state is highly dependent on the pittance from Abuja, it can not afford to be embarking on projects that, yes are good but realy are not economically expedient. Like Kobo said, if transporting materials, goods and services have not been shown to be a major problem in the state then Ekiti state government giving their very lean pocket do not have any business "converting the state to a huge construction site". They should be more focused on projects that will have the needed effect on stimulating economic activities and attracting investors to the state. There is too much politics these days in the claims of road construction by state government that it gives the wrong impression that constructing roads is the biggest challenge to improving the economy and attracting investors.

If u're the governor where will u start from?? We are talking about rural community u're talking about 21st century. Tell me how to stimulate economic activities without providing basic needs in a rural community, what can stimulate economic activities apart from infrastructures and security