The government of Imo State has apologised for the inconvenience motorists and residents who may currently be experiencing some delays or temporary difficulty in vehicular movement as a result of the ongoing road maintenance works across the state.
The government said it understands that roadworks can disrupt normal movement, particularly along busy corridors. However, the temporary inconvenience is part of the process of keeping these major roads in good condition and ensuring that the infrastructure continues to serve the people for many years.
DrumAfricanews reports that the ongoing maintenance works at the Assumpta Fly-Over, Okigwe Road, Orlu Road and other major corridors across Owerri are drawing attention for another important reason: a smart move by the government.
As gathered, the work is being carried out at zero cost to the Imo State Government, following what can only be described as a shrewd contractual arrangement secured by Governor Hope Uzodimma.
Ordinarily, road contractors provide a limited post-inauguration maintenance period, often around six months, but Governor Uzodimma, however, negotiated for contractors handling major road projects in the state to continue maintaining the infrastructure for considerably longer periods (years) after commissioning.
DrumAfricanews reports that this means the government is not simply building roads, commissioning them and walking away. The infrastructure is being watched, maintained and preserved.
This is the kind of thinking that explains why infrastructure in developed countries lasts for decades. In places such as the United States, European maintenance is treated as an integral part of infrastructure management.
Roads, bridges and public facilities are routinely inspected and repaired before minor defects become major failures.
Nigeria’s problem has often been the opposite. The country spends heavily to construct infrastructure, celebrate the commissioning, and then allow the facility to deteriorate until another administration returns to spend even more money rebuilding it.
A few days ago, Dr Ngozi Okonjo-Iweala identified Nigeria’s weak maintenance culture as one of the factors undermining the value of infrastructure investments.
During the Delta State economic summit, she stressed the importance of sustained maintenance. She has also specifically argued that infrastructure investment must be accompanied by a strong maintenance culture.
That makes what is happening in Imo particularly instructive, as the Assumpta Fly-Over is not being allowed to become yesterday’s project. Okigwe Road is not being abandoned after inauguration. Orlu Road and other major corridors are receiving attention where maintenance is required.
It is a simple principle, but one with enormous economic value: build it, maintain it and preserve it.
The real test of infrastructure, however, is not how impressive it looks on commissioning day. It is how well it performs years later.
That is why the current maintenance programme deserves attention. The Uzodimma administration is beginning to demonstrate that building infrastructure and preserving infrastructure are two parts of the same responsibility.
