The House of Representatives on Wednesday urged the Federal Ministry of Works and Housing to develop guidelines to check the indiscriminate erection of speed bumps on federal highways.
Olubunmi Ogunlola (APC–Ijero/Ekiti West/Efon Federal Constituency) who led the motion said speed bumps being erected by communities on federal highways often constitute a danger to road users.
She argued that the Federal Ministry of Works and Housing and the Federal Roads Maintenance Agency (FERMA) are not responsible for granting approval for these erections.
“Expert opinions concerning specifications in terms of size, width and suitable places for erection of such bumps” are thrown to the wind, she said.
She noted that while host communities might erect bumps to safeguard lives of pedestrians, the sizes, shapes and spacing should be determined by these two agencies.
“There is a need for any community wishing to erect bumps on a federal highway to obtain approval from the Federal Ministry of Works and Housing or Federal Roads Maintenance Agency (FERMA) regarding the length, width and quality of such bumps,” she said.
“The responsibility of the Federal Ministry of Works and Housing and the Federal Roads Maintenance Agency (FERMA) is to construct and maintain federal roads across Nigeria.”
She nonetheless acknowledged the role controllers of works in each state play in the issuance of rules and guidelines for bump erection on highways within their jurisdictions.
Following the support of lawmakers for the motion, the house called on communities desirous of erecting bumps on federal highways to seek approval from relevant authorities before doing so, to check road mishaps.
It mandated its Committee on Works to ensure compliance.
This call is not new. In the 8th Senate, a similar call was made. Likewise earlier this year, the federal government made a similar call.
