FG Urged to Fix Dilapidated Roads to Boost Haulage Business

Eromosele Abiodun

The federal government has been advised to fix all the major dilapidated roads scattered across the country so as to boost the fortunes of the haulage sector.

General Manager, SIFAX Haulage & Logistics Limited, Adewale Adetayo made this call in a chat with newsmen in Lagos.

He said many potential investors in the business were scared away because of the potential risks their investment will be exposed to as a result of the deplorable conditions of the major highways in the nation. Specifically, he said, “The haulage business has a very huge potential but not much attention is paid to it. The sector currently accounts for over N200 billion turnover, with an estimated growth rate of about 10 per cent per annum.

“If you look at the assessment of the Logistics Performance Index, Nigeria ranks 90th out of 160 countries, which is very poor. One of the major challenges confronting the sector is that of bad road.

“If you also consider the road landscape in Nigeria, the federal government has about 18 per cent of the road network, state government about 16 per cent and the local governments about 68 per cent.

“The sad thing is that more than 70 per cent of the traffic on the road is basically on the Federal roads which represent just 18 per cent of the country’s total landscape.”

Adetayo noted that the sector will experience a quantum leap in growth and investment if all the federal roads and other necessary infrastructure can be fixed.

He debunked the insinuation that there more than enough trucks on the roads, adding that the continuous expansion of the country’s economy necessitates frequent movement of goods from and into the country.

He noted that the proper implementation of the Ease of Doing Business will encourage more investment, both local and foreign, in the sector.

He also demanded government’s stern action on regulation.

He said a good number of the trucks plying the country’s roads were rickety in nature, thereby putting the lives of other road users and the goods they convey at risk.

While commending government’s relevant agencies for their efforts in thisregards, he urged them to be more stringent to rid Nigerian roads of all rickety and badlymaintained trucks.

Speaking further on the company’s recent acquisition of 20 new trucks, Adetayo said increase demand by the customers, as well as creation of more jobs opportunities account for the purchase that takes its fleet strength to 75. He said this has now positioned the company to undertake good delivery in any part of the country and beyond.