The Chaplain of the United States Senate, Dr. Barry C. Black, is a retired Real Admiral and former United States Chief of Navy Chaplains. On June 28, 2008 he offered the following prayer on whether it was sense that the Senate debates the motion to concur in the House amendment to an act to provide needed housing reform to be brought to a close.
Our Father in Heaven, in the midst of challenges, give our Senators a vision of a land of freedom and justice. Remind them that no nation can be truly great without righteousness and that You possess the power to heal our land.
May the work of this legislative body bring unity to the hearts of our citizens and security to our shores. As our law makers give their time, strength and thoughts to the strength to the task of freedom, hasten the day when America will be a beacon of hope to our world. Lord, give to our national leaders the inspiration that will enable them lead this country into making the American dream a reality.
A louder Amen to this type of prayer is needed for Senators on Nigeria’s economic knock on wood. The Senate is asking Nigerians to gear up for a rough, rough way to go (lyric of Jimmy Cliff’s Hard road to travel). Perhaps our Senators have good intentions but it is burdening on them to prove that they are for the wellbeing of the Nigerian. Its committee on Works led by Kabir Gaya last week approved the National Road Fund Establishment Bill.
The sources for generating revenue for the National Road Fund included a levy of five naira, N5 for every litre of premium motor spirit, PMS and diesel either imported or refined locally. There are also axle load charges, toll fees (a percentage not exceeding 10 percent of any revenue paid as user charge per vehicle on any federal road designated as toll road excluding Public Private Partnership roads). Others are the international vehicle transit charges, inter-state mass transit user charge of 0.5 percent deductible from the fare paid by passengers to commercial mass transit operators on interstate roads.
The Committee also recommended roads fund surcharge of 0.5 percent chargeable on the assessed value of any vehicle imported at any time into Nigeria; lease, licence or other fees which shall be 10 percent of the revenue accruing from lease or licence or other fees pertaining to non-vehicular road usages along any federal road and collected by the Federal Roads Agency among others. They set aside an amount not exceeding three percent of the monies accruing from the exceeding year as Administrative Fund.
It is a truism that Nigeria wants to develop but is the Senate not pushing Nigerians to the brink? Perhaps a more ingenious approach rather than the usual easy way of pushing the problem to the people is needed. One agrees with the Senate President Dr. Bukola Saraki that the arbitrary PPPRA templates could be adjusted to get the proposed N5. What about the other components of the road fund generation? Many have said the set of laws proposed is draconian in a democratic country that is teetering on the verge of depression.
Agreed good road will reduce the travelling time but the associated costs proposed will increase distribution cost which will be transferred to the final consumer. These costs also incurred by micro-small-and-medium enterprises, MSME are against the cost effectiveness principle in business. Manufacturers have cried out against associated transportation and self-power costs because it adds to the cost of goods sold.
Increases in personal travels costs add to the cost of living of the traumatised Nigerian. On May 11 2016, the pump price of petrol was increased from N87 to N145 because we are importing fuels. In June 2016, the Nigerian currency was devalued by an unimaginable 77.66 percent because the price of crude we have solely relied upon for export revenue since 1958 went down in the international market. Our fuel consumption rate dropped from about 35 million litres to about 20 million litres a day because it became less affordable and businesses stifled.
We have less than 50,000 kilometres of asphalt paved federal roads. Asphalt is the most widely used paving material for highways in most countries. The asphalt roadway is relatively cheaper to construct and maintain than other paving methods. About 96 percent of the United States paved highways is of asphalt. Texas maintains 500,000 kilometres of highways with asphalt.
The percentage of asphalt mix (asphalt concrete) in aggregates and asphalt (bitumen) is between 3.5 to 5 percent. Road construction and maintenance in Nigeria is expensive because we import road paving asphalt which constitutes three percent in the refining mix. Our Senators should engage petroleum operators for solutions.
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