The Senate has asked the Federal Ministry of Power, Works and Housing to remove speed bumps on federal highways and enforce compliance with speed limits.
The directive followed the adoption of a motion jointly moved by Senator Barnabas Gemade (Benue North-East) and Senator Stella Oduah (Anambra-North) at the plenary on Tuesday. The Senate unanimously granted the prayers, including to “direct the Ministry of Power, Works and Housing to the remove all the speed bumps indiscriminately erected on the federal highways, regulate and standardise the erection of all speed bumps.”
According to Gemade, some of the hazards posed by the bumps to vehicle owners are “accelerated wear and tear of the vehicles, loss of many hours when quantified nationwide, and damage to vehicle suspension systems as most of these bumps are not professionally designed.”
He alleged that the Department of Highways in the Ministry of Power, Works and Housing was not controlling the development of structures along federal highways, allowing illegal fixed structures to be erected less than the prescribed 45m off the roads.