I Was Misquoted On Exaggerated Bad Roads – Fashola

Babatunde Fashola, the Minister of Works and Housing has explained that Nigerians misquoted his comment that the complaints about the deplorable state of federal roads across the country were exaggerated.

Fashola who spoke over the weekend during his visit to Ondo State to inaugurate some road projects funded by Chief Micheal Ade-Ojo, popularly known as Elizade in Ifedore local government area of the state stated that he never used the word ‘exaggerated.’

On Wednesday, November 6, 2019, the Minister while speaking with State House correspondents after the Federal Executive Council, FEC, meeting was reported to have said that Nigerian roads were not as deplorable as the public have made them to look.

“The roads are not as bad as they are often portrayed. I know that this is going to be your headline, but the roads are not that bad.”

However, speaking at Ilara-mokin, the Works Minister disclosed that contrary to insinuations on social media, he had traveled round the country on roads to access the condition of federal roads.

According to him, the federal government would fix bad roads based on priority list.

His words, “Let me start from the journey by roads to the 36 states, 12 hours everyday, so I know what I saw, and I also said what I wanted to say in that press conference.

“I didn’t use the word ‘exaggerated’, I didn’t say that and please go listen to what I say, thank you,” Fashola said.

He added that the federal government would not refund any state that rehabilitates or reconstructs federal roads, stressing that the bill for road refund from state governments was on the high side, amounting to #500 billion.