By Olanrewaju Ajao President Muhammadu Buhari has said that something needs to be done about the poor state of Nigerian roads.
Speaking during a presidential dinner he hosted Wednesday night in honour of senators at the new Banquet Hall of the State House, Buhari said: “The roads are dead.
“Those who drive between Lagos and Ibadan will have a lot of stories to tell you. Those who drive from Kaduna to Jebba may have more stories to tell. The same thing is applicable to the East West roads,” the President said.
He urged the Senate to assist his government in concentrating on the problem of infrastructure such as rail, road and power.
He urged Senate Committees to look at the various agreements the nation had entered into in the last six years and see where Nigeria is defaulting in in terms of counterparts funding.
He observed that if the nation could get the railway working, lives and fuel would be saved.
The President also touched on the nation’s economy, saying the drop in the price of oil was affecting it negatively.
While thanking the Senate for the speed at which his ministerial nominees were approved, he urged them to treat the nation’s budget with same sense of urgency.
“We are enjoying tremendous goodwill outside this country. Whatever we do, let us have it in mind that people have confidence in this government,” the President admonished.
Senate President Bukola Saraki, admitted that the challenges ahead are enormous, saying he believed that when God gives man a position, He would also equip him with the capacity to carry out the task.
In treating national issues, he promised that the Senate under his watch would not be sentimental.
“Petrol does not know APC or PDP. We will always work hard in the interest of the country in everything we do,” Saraki promised.
Journalists were later excused as the President engaged the lawmakers in an interactive session behind closed-doors.
