TheCable

The federal government says it is not yet possible to determine the exact damage flooding has caused to roads across the country.

Babatunde Fashola, minister of works and housing, said this on Wednesday while speaking with journalists after the federal executive council (FEC) meeting.

The meeting was presided over by President Muhammadu Buhari at the presidential villa in Abuja.

According to the minister, the extent of damage would be determined when the water recedes completely.

He, however, added that efforts are ongoing to improve the situation, especially with more movement expected during the coming months.

“At this stage, it is difficult to quantify the damage to the roads. The only thing that is clearly visible at this time, and that’s because the flood is still receding,” he said.

“So, it’s when all of that is gone that we can really see how much damage has been done. The impact is that just like in any situation of extreme weather condition, travel logistics are hampered. So, some of the roads are difficult to traverse.

“It has caused some backlog in logistic movements. We are already seeing some disruptions in supply chain, like fuel and some other things, but we hope that when the water fully recedes, we will see the full extent of damage.

“But we are already planning our ember-months movement, which we do in the last quarter of the year.

“So, that will take into consideration any damage that has been done and we’ll try and remedy as much of it as resources and time allow us, so that we will prepare for that heavy movement period during the festive period.”

Meanwhile, the minister’s comments come amid concerns over flooding across communities in the country, which have resulted in deaths, and have also caused damage to roads, bridges, farmlands among others.