The Federal Road Emergency Road Maintenance Agency (FERMA) has reassured Nigerians about the Federal Government’s intentions to repair deteriorating federal highways across the country. During a tour of the damaged roads in Abia State on Thursday, Festus Okafor, the Federal Road Maintenance Engineer for the region, highlighted the efforts aimed at easing road travel.
“As more funding becomes available, additional federal roads will be addressed,” Okafor remarked. “We are currently waiting for more financial resources to tackle the extensive failures on federal roads within the state.”
FERMA has initiated repairs on three key federal roads in Abia State: the Aba-Azumini-Akwa Ibom Road, Umuahia-Bende-Ohafia Road, and Uturu-Mile 2-Ebonyi border Road. “We are working on washouts that pose a risk of severing some roads, particularly the Umuahia-Bende Road. Immediate interventions have been carried out using direct labor. Patchwork has also been done on the Aba-Azumini Road and the Uturu-Mile 2-Ebonyi border Road to keep them passable and alleviate motorists’ difficulties,” Okafor explained.
The inspection aligns with President Bola Tinubu’s ‘Renewed Hope Agenda,’ aiming to reduce travel stress for drivers and commuters in Abia State. Okafor mentioned that the repairs and patching are being executed through direct labor and urged commuters to be patient, assuring them that other federal roads in the state would receive attention as funds allow.
Delays in intervention are often due to the bureaucratic approval process for projects that require contracts, Okafor noted. He emphasized that smaller-scale damages could be addressed more quickly through direct labor. “The ongoing patchwork started two weeks ago as part of our proactive efforts to prevent further road damage by addressing issues early,” he said.
Okafor commended President Tinubu for empowering the agency to fulfill its duties and expressed gratitude to FERMA’s Managing Director, Dr. Chukwuemeka Agbasi, for his proactive approach, which has been crucial to the agency’s success in the state. According to FERMA, Abia has a total of 14 federal roads.
