FERMA has completed 21 roads in South West, 8 underway in Kwara – NASS C’ttee

The House of Representatives Committee on the Federal Roads Maintenance Agency (FERMA) has disclosed that twenty-one road projects have been completed in the South West region, while eight others are ongoing in Kwara State.

Chairman of the Committee, Hon Aderemi Hussein, made this known in Ilorin, Kwara State capital, during an oversight inspection of FERMA’s activities in Kwara, Oyo, Ekiti, Osun, Ogun, and Lagos states.

He said the visit was part of efforts to verify that budgeted funds were properly utilised for road maintenance.

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He said the committee was pleased with the volume of work executed in line with the 2024 approvals after the briefs received from directors and state engineers.

“After our meetings with the federal road maintenance engineers, we were quite pleased with the briefs received from the directors and the state engineers in charge regarding the volume of work done so far.”

“21 projects were awarded in South West 1, and all have been fully completed and you have to appreciate the team for delivering on what was expected of them”, he said.

Hussein, who represents Ido and Ibarapa East federal constituency of Oyo State, noted that paperwork alone is not enough.

“As members of the committee, it is not sufficient to rely on documentation. That is why we are visiting project sites to confirm that what has been reported matches what is on ground,” he said.

He explained that eight projects were approved for Kwara, out of these five had been completed, while three were ongoing.

“One of the roads still in progress is the 9 kilometre stretch from Offa Garage roundabout to the College of Arabic and Islamic Legal Studies.

“I was keen to assess which sections have been completed and which ones are still pending. This will help us reconcile the work with the bill of quantities”, he noted.

The lawmaker further called for more funding of FERMA.

According to him, the agency receives only 10 percent of what it needs to operate effectively.

He lamented that FERMA used to be one of the most reliable government agencies.

“At the beginning, the agency was properly funded. Engineers were actively working. Contractors were engaged. People could see quality work being done across the country,” he said.

“But things have changed. The current condition of roads across Nigeria clearly shows that the funds they now receive annually are not enough.”

He added that the need for better support is now obvious to both experts and ordinary road users.

Hussein said the committee is committed to accountability emphasising that every fund appropriated must be traced to the project it was meant for.

He hailed President Bola Tinubu for prioritising infrastructure under the Renewed Hope initiative.

“The president is intentional about making roads motorable. Our current appropriation shows that and he is also pursuing legacy projects that will complement existing ones”, he submitted.

Also speaking, FERMA’s Zonal Coordinator for South West 1, Engr Babatunde Aina, said funding remains a major challenge.

He explained that many roads span several kilometres, but budget limitations force the agency to focus on critical portions.

“For example, we have a nine kilometre road, but funding can only cover key areas. That does not mean other parts are okay, but we are only able to fix the worst parts. The rest have to wait for future allocations”, he stated.