The Enugu State House of Assembly has asked the state government to constitute and inaugurate the Board of Enugu State Road Maintenance and Development Agency.
According to the assembly, it is in compliance with the Enugu State Road Maintenance and Development Agency Law passed in 2022 and assented by the immediate past governor, Chief Ifeanyi Ugwuanyi.
This is contained in a motion for the constitution and inauguration of the Board sponsored by the lawmaker representing Igbo-Eze North State Constituency II, Mr Clifford Obe, in the House on Friday. Obe said that the motion would strengthen the institutional framework for effective and sustainable road maintenance across the state.
While reiterating that the law establishing the agency was enacted in 2022, the lawmaker lamented that in spite of the law, the governing board had neither been constituted nor inaugurated. The development, he maintained, had prevented the agency from being operational as well as undermining oversight, decision-making, and resource mobilization.
Contributing, the House Minority Leader, Chief Iloabuchi Aniagu, revealed that the Board, when constituted, would help to ensure prompt maintenance of roads in the state to avoid them collapsing completely.
Aniagu argued that it was cheaper to maintain than reconstruct a road, saying the board would lessen the responsibilities of the Ministry of Works and Infrastructure. The minority leader asked the state government to activate the board to enable it to carry out its responsibility of maintaining roads in the state.
Another lawmaker, Mr Okey Mbah, said the board would do a great service to the state, as it would save the government from reconstructing dilapidated roads every time. Mbah added that, aside from saving the government financial resources, the house had a responsibility to ensure that laws, when passed, were implemented effectively.
He pointed out that the immediate constitution and inauguration of the agency would strengthen road governance, improve service delivery, and guarantee a sustainable road maintenance culture that would serve the state.
In his remarks, the Speaker of the House, Chief Uche Ugwu, commended the sponsor and co-sponsors of the motion for their passion to see that roads in the state are in good condition. The House also passed for a second reading the 2026 Budget Estimate of ₦1.62trn.
