THE conditions of federal roads in Kwara state are poor. The development perhaps made the state governor Alhaji Abdulfatah Ahmed to disclosed the readiness of his government to spend a sum of N8 billion some federal roads in the state.

Kwara, a North Central state is regarded as a ‘Gateway’ between the people of Southwest and the North. The location no doubt has put too much pressure on the federal roads in the state. Some of the roads are Ilorin/Kabba, Kaiama / Kishi and Kosubosu / Baruteen.

The visibly worried governor Ahmed had told the Minister of Works, Arc Mike Onomhememen on a working visit to the state of the drastic effects of the poor road network to the economic growth of the state, which is purely agrarian in nature.

He thus presented to the minister the intention of the state to spend the huge sum of money on the roads, but with a caveat that the Federal Government would promptly refund the money.

A portion of the Ilorin/ Kabba Road (Ajase/Offa) for instance has become so bad that motorists now spend over one hour on 20 kilometers stretch of road due to its pitiable condition.

Despite the seeming precarious nature of these roads network, a teacher of Law at the University of Ilorin Dr Ade Jamiu Raji said he would still prefer travelling on such roads, to embarking on journey by air. According to him, “on roads you have some measure of control over the driver, but once your plane is air borne, you are at the mercy of the pilots. So I will like to travel most times by roads.”

But a Professor of Law and the Dean faculty of Law, Igbinedion  University Okada, Edo State, Alhaji Rasheed Ijaodola said that despite some observable lapses in the  nation’s aviation sector, he would always prefer air travel to road, citing more safety and effective time management as reasons.

Speaking on the development, the Kwara State Sector Commander of the Federal Road Safety Corps, (FRSC), Mary Wakawa said despite the poor nature of the roads, if motorists had obeyed certain roads traffic signs the rate of accidents on the roads would have been reduced.

According to Wakawa, “they should shun overloading, dangerous driving and over speeding, avoid the use of phone while driving, adhere to the usage of seat belt, while vehicle is in motion, avoid driving under the influence of alcohol and drugs, and abolition of the sale of drugs at motor parks I think we can have a safer road travel in the country.”