Astronomic airfare increase: Federal Roads not offering suitable alternatives
A recent meeting of domestic airline operators in Lagos, saw a resolution bringing on board the increase of airfares by 100percent with effect from next week, March 01, 2022. The increment as noted would be across board. The resolution adopted by all the domestic operators would see the least economy ticket now selling for N50,000, against the previous N22,000 for an hour flight. Recall the stakeholders, under the aegis of Airline Operators of Nigeria (AON) had earlier issued a statement lamenting the current high cost of aviation fuel. In their complaints, they had noted that “aviation fuel cost above N410 in Lagos, N422 in Abuja and Port Harcourt, and N429 in Kano per litre, while the dollar, which sells for between N580 to N600 is in short supply. Unavailability of Forex for spare parts and maintenance. Airlines carry out most of their activities in dollars which today sells for between N580 to N600 and is in short supply. Nigeria’s domestic airlines are in a ‘life and death’ struggle to secure the Forex they need to acquire their spare parts to maintain their aircraft. This is a major influence on how quickly a grounded aircraft can be fixed and restored to its flight schedule, which in turn has a huge impact on the schedule reliability of the domestic airlines.
One new reality which the recent increase in the fare of domestics air travels in Nigeria has brought into play, is the consideration of settling for road travel alternatives for air-bound travellers. However, in as much as such would have been a very desirable choice to opt for, among other options, it is notable that the constraints that would foist discouraging factors for such are deep seated. One pronounced limitation is the ramshackled state of roads across the Country – a subject that has made road travels across major routes an eyesore. The state of roads in the Country is known to bear more sordid record of lamentation, than good embrace. The nauseating state has made travels largely a nightmare than smooth ride of good embrace.
While the record is known to be deep seated across the Country, the profile of federal roads in the Country are known to be one of worsened concern. A number of critical interconnecting roads under the federal structure have been known over time to fall into the fate of lamentable conditions. The poor culture of maintenance, substandard constructions, abandonment, diversion of funds, and poor project execution plan, have made the profile of federal roads across the Country lamentable. On a large scale, the deforming nature of project execution of those roads slated for construction and/or reconstruction have seen certain projects lingering over long period with crawling state of records than usual. In the long run, the collapse of such road infrastructures falling off sustainability, below reasonable state of durability, have overshadowed the profile of federal roads across the Country. Hence, the collapse of such roads from time to time with recurring demands for reconstruction, call for worries and deep concern. Such roads as the Lagos/Ibadan expressway, and it’s Lagos/Abeokuta counterpart are known to be ill-fated and ridden along these deficiencies. Despite their economic significance, the character of executing the project plans to fixed these roads have remained, in all ways, irrational in comparison to the their economic demands.
Following the astronomical increase in airfares as would take course by the resolution of the Airline operators in the Country, the Senate on Tuesday called on the Federal Government to, as a matter of urgency, declare a State of Emergency on federal roads in the Country. This is just as the Senate has also urged the Federal Government to immediately make good its indebtedness to the Federal Roads Maintenance Agency (FERMA) in order to enable the agency carry out its primary responsibility of rehabilitating federal roads, especially in the face of the astronomical increase in airfares. The resolutions of the Senate were sequel to a point of order raised to draw its attention to the increase in airfare and the implication for Nigerian roads. Rising under Order 41 and 51 of the Senate Standing Orders, Senator Gershom Bassey, Peoples Democratic Party (PDP) Cross River South, lamented that local airfares in Nigeria have risen by 63 per cent in response to a spike in the price of aviation fuel and attendant cost of operation. According to him, the rise in airfare has pegged the minimum Economy Class ticket at around N80,000 for travellers buying one-hour, one-way economy tickets. He expressed worry that the increase in airfares would increase the pressure on the neglected and dilapidated Nigerian roads and further worsen their state.
The lawmaker who noted that FERMA had a budgetary approval of just 20 per cent of the funds the agency requires for the rehabilitation of about 35,000km of federal roads in 2022, observed that the sum of about N850 billion that is to accrue to FERMA by virtue of the 5 per cent User charge on pump price of petrol, diesel and international vehicle transit charges provided for in Section 14 of FERMA (Amendment) Act No.18 of 2007 is still being owed FERMA by the Federal Government. “The humongous debt owed FERMA by the Federal Government has hampered the effective discharge of FERMA’s primary responsibility of road maintenance and rehabilitation,” he observed.
The socio-economic impacts of the deficiencies have been one of worsened reflections. From the wastage of productive time in traffic, to the losses that mount-up from preventable accidents recording wastage of lives and commodities, the narratives have remained unhealthy for the economy. Businesses are known to be suffering huge brunts from losses of goods when haulage vehicles, from time to time, fall into the calamity of accidents. The conditions have not been too good in terms of uncertainties which have come to cloud road transportation, and as such, contributing to make business environment largely unfriendly in the Country.
It has now become of necessity that the Federal Government prioritise the need to fix federal roads to meet the standards required to drive a reliable system of road networks in the Country. This is essentially paramount to cushion the strains the deficiencies of poor road networks in the Country impose on businesses. This leaves particular emphasis on federal roads, which largely bear strategic linkage connectivity for inter-state movement of goods and commodities. Leaving the roads in the prevailing state of despair has continued to threaten commercial activities, and thus debilitating to the economy.
Just as budgetary allocations for the execution of roads in state of despair is important, more significant by necessity, is the demand on the Federal Government to develop more systemic parameters of structural responses to remodify the processes of project execution in the Country. This is particularly important to eliminate the strings of negative forces feasting on the prevaiing order, and as such making the achievable outcome from allocations uncoordinated and intangible for records of development. The socio-economic fabrics of the Country is largely threatened and strained by poor infrastructures, of which road networks remain of critical concern. It has become essential for the Federal Government to take the lead in the course of redefining the orientation of road profile in the Country. Developing road networks to appreciable standards, is one step towards a robust intermodal system of transportation, significant to driving the economy.
