Kwara State Governor, Alhaji Abdulfatah Ahmed, has canvassed a partnership between the federal and state governments to rehabilitate and construct federal roads.

The governor, speaking with journalists in Ilorin on Tuesday, stated that states, especially Kwara, would be willing to join resources with the Federal Government to ensure the rehabilitation of many dilapidated federal roads in the state.

According to him, after the rehabilitation or construction of such roads, the state governments could then take ownership of the roads so as to ensure their sustained maintenance and longevity.

He lamented that such deplorable roads were posing danger to the users, inhibiting agricultural and industrial growth as well as negatively affecting other socio-economic and commercial activities in the affected areas.

He stated that the state government had developed a good partnership model with the local governments in the state for road development.

"I want this type of synergy to be put in place between the federal and state governments. We would be happy." He specifically said the state government would be interested in partnering the Federal Government in rehabilitating federal roads such Kaima-Kishi and Eiyenkorin to bring succour to the people.

He identified Ilorin-Jebba and Kaima-Kishi federal roads in the state as some of the federal roads in the state that required urgent attention.

He gave some roads projects on its 2012 priority list as Kaima-Moshe-Banni road; Ajasse-Sanmora-Igbonla road; Patigi-Ndanaku- Yekosa Lle-Gada Woro Patigi road and Oyun-Ojoku-Ila Market road.

Others are Irepodun- Arandun road, Sabo-Owode-Oke-Onigbin road and Atoda-Odo-Oko road.

The governor also said that the Kwara State Government had earmarked N2.5bn in the state/local governments joint account for the rehabilitation and construction of the local government roads.

According to him, all the 16 local governments are expected to provide a counterpart funding of N800m.

Ahmed said the state government was partnering some local councils in the rehabilitation and construction of about 152 kilometres of roads across the state.

According to him, the roads are Ilesha-Baruba-Gberebereru-Babane road in Baruten; Tsonga-Guduzuru- lafiaga(Lafiagi- Abiola farm); Patikesan road; Bushewa road in Edu, Obbo-ile-Ora-Aiyetoro-Ejiu Obbo-Aygunle road in Ekiti; Oro Ago-Oke Oyan road; Oke Oyan-Owa

Kajola road; Oko Ode-Babanla Ora road all in Irepodun.

Other roads in Ilorin, according to him, are Rex Bello-Akorede Tanke Police ‘’F’’ Division; Kulende-Muyideen College Galiki Mobile Police road; Abdulsalam-Sanrab petrol station road, Tanke Ilorin; Abraham-Adeniken road, Tanke; Ita-Olodan, Danialu; Temidire-Street-Upper Gaa Akanbi; LAO area road, Airport Ilorin.

Others are Iwo-road, Offa Garage area; Bolorunduro-Pandoro-Kafenta-Sekongba Elesinfunfun-Ayegunle/Igbonna road; Ira-Aboto road; Gbaradogi gully erosion, Patigi road.

He said, "Local governments should be happy with what we are doing because we are helping them to do capital projects, which ordinarily, they would not have been able to do."

"Do not forget the fact that only thing that joined us together with the local government is the joint project account. In the joint project account, they have about N800m which has been channeled into rural roads construction. This is mainly to support the N2.5bn that the state government is expending on the same project. Rural roads are largely local council roads, state roads are different."