LAGOS, Nigeria – The presidential candidate of the Labour Party in the 2023 general elections, Peter Obi, has called on the federal and state governments to prioritise the urgent rehabilitation and maintenance of existing road networks over embarking on expensive new infrastructure projects.
In a public statement released on Monday, August 24, 2026, Obi illustrated the acute state of transport infrastructure in Nigeria by citing the severe ordeal of a traveller journeying from Onitsha, Anambra State, to Lagos.
“I have consistently continued to respectfully appeal to those in office today to prioritise reconstruction and maintenance of existing roads and other infrastructure over commencing new ones,” Obi said. “I left someone in Onitsha on Saturday night to take the first bus to Lagos on Sunday morning. Until I left Lagos at 8 pm yesterday, he had not arrived in Lagos. He only arrived in Lagos at about 2 pm today. A journey that usually takes a maximum of 8 hours now takes nearly two days.”
Okay News reports that major arterial transit routes connecting southern commercial hubs and northern food-producing belts have faced severe structural deterioration, leading to prolonged gridlocks, vehicular breakdowns, and supply chain disruptions.
Obi stressed that the consequences of neglected road infrastructure extend far beyond logistical inconvenience, inflicting severe damage on businesses and daily economic productivity across the federation.
“This is not just about bad roads. It is about lost man-hours, stranded passengers sleeping on highways, wasted fuel, damaged vehicles, delayed goods, and businesses losing millions of naira,” he noted.
Challenging current capital spending priorities, the former Anambra State governor argued that public investment must focus on functional assets that directly alleviate the cost of living and facilitate inter-state commerce.
“Nigerians do not need new projects just for the headlines. We need functional roads that make life and economic activity possible,” Obi added. “A government must understand that infrastructure is not necessarily about the size of the project; it is about the number of lives and livelihoods it improves. A new Nigeria is possible, and Nigeria will be OK.”
