Ministry Official Debunks FRSC’s ‘90% Kano Federal Roads’ Claim
From Muhammad Kabir Kano
An official of the Federal Ministry of Works has dismissed the Federal Road Safety Corps’ (FRSC) claim that about 90 per cent of roads in Kano State are federal roads, describing the assertion as inconsistent with the established highway classification and maintenance framework in Nigeria.
The official, who spoke on condition of anonymity because he was not authorised to comment publicly on the matter, was reacting to comments by the Public Education Officer of the FRSC, Kano Sector Command, Abdullahi Labaran, who had defended the Corps’ operations in the state following a recent Federal High Court judgment restricting the agency’s activities on non-federal roads.
“The claim that 90 per cent of Kano roads are federal roads is not supported by the existing road classification system,” the ministry official said. “Federal highways terminate within a 25-kilometre radius of the city, after which the affected sections are ceded to the relevant urban authority in line with established government policy.”
He explained that the arrangement has long governed the ownership and maintenance of federal highways passing through major cities across the country.
“It is a well-documented framework that has been implemented over the years. The portions of the highways within the designated urban limits become the responsibility of the city. That is the procedure recognised by the relevant authorities,” he added.
The official further described the FRSC spokesman’s position as one made “without adequate knowledge of the applicable framework,” insisting that the legal and administrative status of such roads is clearly defined.
Labaran had earlier told journalists that the FRSC would appeal the Federal High Court judgment, maintaining that the Corps operates only on federal roads.
“We will appeal the court judgment on our operations within the city,” he said.
The FRSC spokesman also argued that “about 90 per cent of the roads in Kano State are federal roads,” adding that all enforcement activities carried out by the Corps in the state are conducted on federal government roads.
His comments followed the judgment in a fundamental rights suit instituted by Kano-based lawyer Abba Hikima, in which the Federal High Court held that the FRSC lacks the legal authority to operate on roads outside the federal highway network.
The judgment has triggered renewed debate over the extent of the Corps’ statutory powers, with the planned appeal expected to provide further judicial clarification on the agency’s jurisdiction over roads within Kano metropolis.
