*Senator Musa*
By Haruna Salami
Senator Sani Musa representing Niger East has advocated the need for road construction companies in Nigeria to work in the night.
Speaking to The State in an interview on the “need to address the increasing rate of traffic accidents along Kaduna – Zaria – Kano road”, a motion he co-sponsored, Senator Sani said Federal Ministry of Works should be called upon to prevail upon construction companies to commence work at night.
He said “If you go to other places you will see jobs going on at night. It’s even good for our economy. But here, by 6 o’clock you will see a construction worker jump into his truck to go home like a civil servant.
According to the Senator, construction companies working at night will provide adquate employment for our people. “When people who work at night are resting, those working in the day will be on leading to early completion of road projects.
“You give me 36 months in your submission to construct a road, because you want to win the job, but it will take you 72 months, you have not reached 50%. They are saving costs at the detriment of the projects. If you give 36 months, you must finish in 36 months. I don’t care how you do it; you must ensure you work 24 hours”.
He also lamented that in the day if it is raining they don’t do anything, then in the night you say its not working hour.
Speaking on the prayer in the motion which urged the Federal Ministry of Health to establish emergency medical units (Trauma Centres) on the road, Senator Sani explained that along the road in that axis, there are villages with rural health care or hospitals proximate to the highway; the government can upgrade them to a small Trauma Centre where accident victims can be rushed to receive, even if it is just first aid before they are referred to bigger hospitals.
He said the Act that established Federal Raod Maintenanc Agency, FERMA has an aspect of emergency, especially accident emergency that takes care of this. “You can even have well-equiped ambulances with paramedics along the road which serve as Trauma Centre”.