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THE EFFECTS OF BAD ROADS ON THE TECHNOLOGICAL SYTEM IN NIGERIA
CHAPTER ONE
INTRODUCTION
Background to the Study
The spatial differences of phenomena on the earth‘s surface indicate that the different part of the earth provides various products that the people needs. Goods and services can only be obtain by moving to the point of demand and supply and this can only be possible through transport (Ogbuozobe, 1997). Transportation is the movement of goods and services from a point of origin to a desired destination. Transport industries exist to provide for the movement of people and goods and for the provision and distribution of services; and transport thereby fulfils one of the most important functions and is one of the most pervasive activities in any society or economy. (Brain and Richard. 2000). In support of this, Taube (2013), insist that ―It is hardly any human society or human settlement that can efficiently and effectively function without adequate, reliable and affordable transport system‖. However, the efficiency and effectiveness of any transport system depend on its infrastructure and services (Ocholi, 2013).
Transport infrastructures are critical substructure whose development has direct bearing on the overall growth on the nation. Infrastructures are the major tools of economic and strategic development. Oni and Okanlawon (2008) denotes transport infrastructure as the major structure of component part of the transport system offering the provision of transport service and operation.
Road transport system is a very important sub sector of transportation in Nigeria. It is the most prevalent mode of transportation for people, goods, and services from the point of origin to the desired destination with the sole benefit of time and value chain addition. The road transportation system in Nigeria is as old as creation. During the 1900s under the British colonial rule, the road designed was to aid the transportation of goods from village to hinterlands to the coastal region for exportation of raw materials for their industries in
U.K (Sheriff, 2009). However, during evolving economic development after independence in 1960 saw the need for road system expansion with the main purpose of facilitating access to the cities and large towns (Encyclopedia of nation, 2008). Nigeria has the largest road network in West Africa and the second largest south of the Sahara with approximately 200,000km of surfaced roads as estimated (Filani, 1999). Currently road system is about 208,200km with 28,980 km paved and 179,220km unpaved (Federal Ministry of Works Bulletin, 2012).
The major road transport infrastructure in Nigeria consist of 32,000km of Federal highways including seven major bridges across the Niger and Benue rivers, the Lagos ring
road, the third mainland axial bridge, 30,500km of state roads; and 130,000km of local roads (Buhari, 2000). The author detailed further that as at June 1996 only 50% of the federal roads and 20% of the state roads were in good condition. While, an estimate 5% of the local rural roads were freely motorable. The rehabilitation program carried out by the Petroleum Trust Fund (PTF) in year 1996 to 1999 covered selected portions of the federal highway totaling about 12,000km along with township roads in about 18 selected cities. Meanwhile over-use and lack of maintenance are further eroding the quality of the rest of the federal highway network. A nationwide road survey conducted by the Central Bank of Nigeria (CBN) on the state of highways in the country in December 2002 reveals that the road network as of December 2002, was estimated at 194,000km. It shown that most of the roads were in a bad condition, especially those in the southeastern and northwestern part of the country. The pattern is generally the same for the roads in other part of the country. Some of the roads, constructed over 30 years ago, had not been rehabilitated even once, resulting in major cracks (longitudinal and transverse), depression, broken down bridges and numerous potholes that makes roads transport slow and unsafe (CBN, 2002).