The Management of the Federal Roads Maintenance Agency (FERMA) has denied the allegation that its contract papers were being sold in front of the agency office.
Its Acting Managing Director Peter Ode Ibu said this while addressing the House of Representatives Committee members on FERMA who were on oversight visit to the agency’s headquarters in Abuja.
The committee members later proceeded to Kuje FERMA equipment base to inspect the 80TPH Asphalt Plant, and other sundry equipment.
Ibu refuted the allegation, saying: “Our contract letters clearly stipulate that it is not transferable and it will become void if transferred and or assigned.”
The FERMA chief promised to work with the committee to promote a sustained road maintenance programme that would keep critical and economically viable roads in fair condition yearly.
Ibu said though FERMA is the only institution established by the Act of the National Assembly to monitor and maintain all Federal roads, it cannot do it alone without the cooperation of the legislature to achieve better result.
He enjoined the lawmakers to overlook any omission by the agency.
Leader of the House Committee on FERMA, Hon. Jerry Alagbasso, said the committee was ready to partner the agency to improve on the roads, adding that road maintenance is a collective responsibility of all stakeholders to relieve commuters of hardship experienced on the road.
Alagbasso asked FERMA to capture all its needs in the 2017 budget and ensure that omissions observed in its 2016 budget presentation were corrected.
At the Asphalt Plant and other equipment in Kuje, the committee demanded that the plant be used to its maximum capacity, urging the agency to seek for more funds to maintain the equipment, and produce more asphalt for distribution to other zones for road maintenance.
Tag: FERMA
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FERMA denies selling contract papers
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Motorists urge FERMA to complete Third Mainland Bridge repairs
Some motorists have appealed to the Federal Roads Maintenance Agency (FERMA) to complete the rehabilitation of Third Mainland Bridge in Lagos.
Motorists, who spoke in separate interviews with the News Agency of Nigeria (NAN), said the continued delay of the project had caused hardship to road users.
They expressed concern that FERMA had abandoned the site after removing some portions of the road surface which they said had affected driving.
NAN reports that FERMA two weeks ago began sectional milling- removing of asphalt on various portions on the Obalende/CMS bound carriageway.
However, NAN correspondents who took a trip on the bridge on Wednesday report that no worker or equipment on site.
Mr Deji Elumoye, Chairman, Lagos State Chapter of the Nigeria Union of Journalists (NUJ), also expressed disappointment that the agency abandoned work after raising the hope of road users.
He said: “Initially, we thought that work was going to start seriously on the Third Mainland Bridge, but after FERMA removed some portions of the road surface, we can’t see workers on site again. We can’t see the construction firm or any equipment and we begin to wonder why. In the last few weeks, we have been subjected to a lot of hardship on this bridge, now the road is impassable.
“For you to pass through some sections of the bridge, your vehicle has to be in good shape, especially the tyres. Government should wake up and do what is expected of it, as regards the repairs of the Third Mainland Bridge, the repair has been abandoned. They (FERMA) should go back to site and stop this harrowing experience motorists are going through in Lagos, especially those going to the Island,” he said.
Mrs Titi Awosika, chandler, also appealed to FERMA to go back to site to avert accidents and gridlock.
“I was startled and afraid when my car hit those portions where they removed asphalt, because I took it for granted that the road is smooth. Why removing asphalt if there is no immediate plan to resurface the road, an important economic bridge,” she queried.
Also, Mrs Tosin Popoola, a Banker, Mr Aniekan Tebasi, an Event Planner and Senior Apostle Wole Ajayi, a transporter, also appealed to FERMA to return to site to complete the project.
Responding, Mr Tayo Awodun, the engineer in charge of the project told NAN that the agency was still on site cleaning some construction debris adding that it would soon begin the laying of asphalt on the bridge.
“We must mill before we can lay asphalt. The equipment we use for milling is different from the ones we use for asphalt, so, we have to remove the ones we used for milling before we bring the ones for asphalt to site.
“We have not left site, men are still on site, what they are doing is cleaning before we begin laying asphalt. They (contractors) will likely lay the asphalt this week,” he said.
Awodun said that plan was ongoing with Righteous Construction Co. Ltd., contractors handling the project, to begin laying asphalt on the bridge during the week.
The bridge was built by Julius Berger Nigeria PLC and opened by President Ibrahim Babangida in 1990, measuring about 11.8 km in length.
The Third Mainland Bridge is the longest of three bridges connecting Lagos Island to the mainland, the other two being the Eko and Carter bridges.
It also was the longest bridge in Africa until 1996 when the 6th October Bridge, located in Cairo was completed, but 2006, Many commuters had reported that the bridge was vibrating, indicating that it needed urgent attention
It was the longest bridge in Africa until 1996 when the 6th October Bridge, located in Cairo was completed.
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Motorists groan as FERMA repairs Third Mainland Bridge
Motorists yesterday expressed dissatisfaction with the Federal Ministry of Works, Power and Housing over the abysmal handling of work on the Third Mainland and Kara bridges, especially.
A cross-section of the motorists, who spoke with News Agency of Nigeria (NAN), said some of the works were being handled without considering the people’s interest.
They urged the Power, Works and Housing Minister, Mr Babatunde Fashola and the Federal Roads Maintenance Agency (FERMA) to do their jobs with utmost regard for the people.
FERMA has begun a rehabilitation of the Third Mainland Bridge to ease motorists’ pains.
NAN checks yesterday showed that FERMA was removing asphalt on four portions on the Obalende/Church Missionary Society (CMS)-bound carriageway.
The engineer in charge of the agency, Lagos East, Mr Tayo Awodun told NAN that the agency was working on both carriageways in a way that would not affect traffic flow.
Awodun said the heavy traffic on the axis was slowing down the repair, but added that the agency usually staggered work between lanes with less traffic to reduce motorists’ hardship.
“Generally, the challenge we are having is that traffic is ever high on the bridge being one of the major routes for motorists coming to the island.
“We have always studied the traffic situation and we work when we have less traffic, that is why on some days our work spans into the night on the carriageway that has less traffic.
“We put on necessary safety measures when working at night. For the Lagos (Obalende/CMS) – bound carriageway for example, we start work at about noon when the rush hours for those going to work on the island would have been over.
“While for the Oworonshoki- bound carriageway, we start work at about 7 a.m. or earlier, till about 2 p.m. when we leave site. We try to move men, materials and equipment out of site before 3 p.m. because by 4 p.m. traffic would be back, with people returning from work,” he said.
The engineer said FERMA had been on site for over one week, adding that the agency’s plan is to complete work on bad portions before May.
The work schedule, he said, was planned in a way that it would not cause much discomfort to road users.
A motorist, Mr Samuel Arogundade, said since the Third Mainland Bridge repair started some weeks ago, motorists been subjected to untold hardship through traffic delay.
He said: “I think Mr Fashola and his men should wake up. Look at the other day, a serious accident occurred on the bridge involving about 10 vehicles. The accident left many injured and it was because the construction was not handled professionally.
“The construction company left their equipment on the bridge without any iota of consideration for safety and their negligible action caused the accident.
Another motorist, Mrs Abidemi Olakunle, said it was time for the government to do things properly.
“Look for instance, Lagos State Government has constructed four lay-bys in Oworonshoki axis to ease vehicular movement in an out of Third Mainland Bridge. The lay-bys and segregated bus stops have greatly helped to reduce travel time inward and outward Lagos Island but since the Federal Government started repair work on the bridge, they have frustrated all the successes recorded via the efforts of the state government.
“Another thing is that the repair work they are carrying out on the bridge has not even yielded positive impact because up till now, they have removed the asphalt of some sections of the bridge and they are yet to put other ones there. They should just sit up and finish their work on time,” she said.
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Fed Govt opposes Senate’s plan to scrap FERMA
•Minister backs return of toll gates
THE Federal Government yesterday opposed the Senate’s move to scrap the Federal Road Maintenance Agency (FERMA).
It, however, supported the idea of reintroduction of toll gates being championed by the upper chamber.
Minister of Works, Power and Housing Mr. Babatunde Fashola stated government’s position on FERMA and toll gates at a public hearing on “Federal Roads Authority Bill, the Infrastructure Development Commission Bill and the motion on the need for the establishment of toll gates on our highways”, organised by the Senate Committee on Works.
Fashola said Nigerians should be educated to know that road infrastructure must be maintained since roads were not permanent infrastructure.
The minister said: “Essentially, we have adhered before the House committee and they have agreed to harmonise some of the things that we have shared with them. But what should interest your excellency is that there has been a gap, no doubt about how we had managed our roads ourselves.
“There is the need to institutionalise the maintenance of road assets. But much more importantly, there is the need for increased awareness and advocacy for users of our road assets that roads are not permanent assets in that way.
“They are wearing assets, they are assets that diminish once we start to use them. So, from the day the road is opened and we start to ply it, it begins to deteriorate and therefore not only must we maintain them, we must use them carefully, we must use them consciously with the intent to get the best out of it.
“We welcome the idea of creating a roads fund and we also welcome the idea of creating a maintenance agency. But we think and this will be details of the substance of the presentation that I will make.
“We think that all of the recommendations that have been made for maintenance should be embodied in the agency that government has already created FERMA.
“Repeal the existing FERMA law, re-enact it and put all of the new things we want to create inside it instead of creating a new agency because FERMA was set up for maintenance in the very first place.
“It has acquired the name, it has acquired the brand. We can build on that brand instead of creating new brand.”
He added: “In order to attract the investment that will enable us achieve private capital infrastructure, two things for me are very instructive.
“The first is the cultural change from existing mindset. Our experience at sub-national and at national level is that every time private capital comes into infrastructure public works, there is a sense in which rights are agitated, court actions are taken, injunctions are taken in a way that is incompatible with commercial expediency and therefore investors are reluctant.
“The politics of our response to this kind of situation, where political party was campaigning that once you elect us, we would cancel the toll.
“Investors don’t like to hear that and I think that within our national parliament, we must engrain that as a position of consistency whether it is party white or black.”
Senate President Abubakar Bukola Saraki, who inaugurated the public hearing, underscored the need for the two arms of government to work together in the interest of the country.
Saraki noted that the only way the government could pull out of funding of certain projects was for the private sector to take over.
He noted that for the legislature, public hearings were necessary to enable them incorporate the views and inputs of critical stakeholders and the public into the legislative process as a demonstration that the National Assembly not only belongs to the people, but would seek the most updated knowledge and information on matters before us especially Bills and Motions.
He said that public hearings also give them opportunity to receive inputs of the Executive agencies charged with the responsibility of ensuring the implementation of the laws we passed here. -
FERMA starts fixing roads in Abia
The zonal director of Federal Roads Maintenance Agency (FERMA) in charge of Abia, Ebonyi and Cross River states, Mr Bayo Adedayo, an engineer, has said that the agency is determined to ensure that all federal roads in Abia State are in good condition for motorists.
Speaking with The Nation while inspecting the work being done at Umuahia-Bende-Ohafia-Arochukwu Road, Adedayo expressed satisfaction on the level and quality of the job done through direct labour.
Adedayo said that the agency is ready to do a very good job, and called on the federal government to release funds that will make them perform at its optimal level. He stressed that they are ready to do the entire road from Umuahia to Arochukwu.
The FERMA zonal director said that once the agency gets the necessary funds, the roads will wear a new face.
“We assure the people of Abia that all federal roads in the state will be free from all forms of potholes which will make the road users to move freely,” he said.
He, however, called on the residents who live along the federal roads to help the agency by doing their communal duties such as desilting the drains in front of their homes, pointing out that doing that will make their work easier.
Earlier, one of the senior engineers of the agency, Mr Erinne Obiora said that they were in the state to monitor the progress of work being done by their people in Abia state, adding that what they have seen shows that the motorists will enjoy the road during the Christmas period.
Obiora said that the agency has the mandate to make all federal roads across the country motorable by ensuring that potholes on the roads disappears, stressing that they will make use of the dry season to move fast.
He explained that they are working according to the best international standard practice, “We are working with the best quality materials available in the construction industry and the roads will stand the test of time”.
The FERMA engineer said that the agency will work faster once they have the required funds, “The lack of funds which has bedeviled the entire country is also affecting the agency, we are praying for things to improve so that motorists will smile at the end of the day”.
Obiora pleaded with motorists to bear with the federal government and the agency, stressing that the roads are priotised by government at all times, “ No government will ever play with amenity such as roads”.
Welcoming the zonal team the resident engineer in the state Engr Abraham Akange Tangu said that the issue of the agency slowing down with the rate of work in the state is because of lack of funds and not because they are not ready to work.
Akange noted that the issue of lack of fund is hitting all departments across the country, “The problem of lack of fund is affecting all sectors of the country and not only in FERMA, if we have the funds, we assure the people of the state that they will have the best quality road they desire.
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Abia: FERMA commences operation make all federal roads motorable
The zonal director of Federal Roads Maintenance Agency (FERMA) in charge of Abia, Ebonyi and Cross River states, Engr. Bayo Adedayo, has said that the agency is determined to ensure that all federal roads in Abia State are made motorable.
Speaking with The Nation while inspecting the level of work being done at Umuahia-Bende-Ohafia-Arochukwu federal road, Adedayo expressed satisfaction on the level and quality of the job being done by the agency through direct labour.
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Lagos: Reps seek urgent repair of old Ojo road
The House of Representatives, on Thursday, passed a resolution urging the Federal Road Maintenance Agency (FERMA) to carry out remedial repair works on old Ojo road in Lagos.
The House also mandated its committees on Works and Appropriation to ensure the inclusion of the required funds for the reconstruction of the road in the 2017 budget proposal.
The resolution was the outcome of a motion entitled “Calling Attention to the Deplorable Condition of Old Ojo Road, Lagos” sponsored by Rep. Oghene Egoh (PDP-Lagos).
The motion was unanimously adopted by members through a voice vote.
Moving the motion, Egor said that the road had been abandoned for more than 40 years leaving it in a complete state of disrepair.
He decried the deplorable state of the road, stressing that vehicles spend several hours to ply the road.
He said that as a result of the bad state of the road, heavy-duty vehicles and containers often crash on the road leading to loss of lives.
The old Ojo road which passes through some major federal establishments like Kirikiri Prison, Navy and Satellite towns, also connect Nigeria to neighbouring countries like Republic of Benin, Togo and Ghana.
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FERMA yet to get N10b for road maintenance
Members of the House of Representatives Committee on Federal Road Maintenance Agency (FERMA) were not happy that the N10 billion approved for road maintenance in the second week of October 2016 has not been cash-backed by the Federal Government .
The lawmakers were especially disturbed by the number of Nigerians who might have died on the roads because of the perceived complacency of FERMA.
During an interactive session yesterday with the management of FERMA, Chairman, House Committee on FERMA Jerry Alagbaoso described as death traps some dilapidated federal roads, such as Akure-Akungba, Enugu-Onitsha, Lagos-Sango Otta, Benin-Agbor and Abuja-Kaduna-Kano, among others.
According to him, thousands of lives have been lost on the roads because of the complacency of the agency’s management team.
A visibly angry Alagbaoso said: “The spirit of those who died on those roads will continue to rove around FERMA!”
The committee added that FERMA failed to submit relevant documents requested by the sub-committee set up to audit the activities of the agency at the last interactive session.
The committee, while questioning the rationale for the disproportionate list of federal roads to be maintained by the agency, demanded answers on why Lagos-Sango Otta road project was removed from the 2016 budget.
But Acting Managing Director FERMA Peter Ibu defended the agency, saying that lack of funding was responsible for the delay in repairing the roads. He said though fund was released in October 2016, “we have been advised not to spend it until we get further clearance.”
According to Ibu, the “no cash, no contract,” policy stopped the agency from awarding contracts, adding that non-compliance with the Public Procurement Act could lead a public officer to prison.
Richard Ohre, Deputy Director in charge of South South 2 and Direct Labour, revealed that about N4 million was released for the cold asphalt project and that the sum of N3 million was released to the each state of the federation as at March 2016.
Calling for the maintenance of major portions of the Federal roads, Ohre noted that direct labour was insufficient to solve the problems of federal roads.
According to him, procurement challenges and the issue of Treasury Single Account (TSA) have been solved with the setting up of a sub-TSA account in each state.
Alagbaso, while explaining the decision of the committee on the alleged unilateral appointment of directors, told reporters that to avoid being stripped of their portfolios, all the affected personnel have been directed to regularise their appointment without further delay.
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Reps berate FERMA over poor state of roads
The House of Representatives Committee on Federal Road Maintenance Agency (FERMA) has expressed disappointment on FERMA over the deplorable state of roads across the country.
The committee also on Wednesday frowned at the non-usage of more than N10 billion by FERMA which was allocated by the Federal Government in October 2016.
The Chairman of the committee, Rep. Jerry Alagbaso, said at the opening of a two-day investigative hearing in Abuja said that Nigerians were worried over the inability of FERMA to leave up to expectations.
The committee frowned at the agency and mandated that a probe be made on how funds allocated to them and recruitment exercise in recent past were carried out.
According to some members of the committee, “each time FERMA management appears before us we are always disappointed because they do not give us the actual situation on ground.
“People are even saying we should pass vote-of-no-confidence on the Managing Director”.
The acting Managing Director, FERMA, Mr Peter Ibu, while pledging to make amends on their performance, said “lack of funding has been the agency’s major challenge”.
The Zonal Coordinators from South West while explaining their challenges said that maintenance had not been carried out in some major roads in Lagos since eight months ago.
They also said that no funds had been received from the headquarters.
Others said the funding and the awarding of contracts should be looked into.
A member of the committee, Rep. Yusuf Tajudeen (PDP-Kogi) questioned why the N10 billion released in October for the agency had not been utilised till date.
Responding, the acting managing director said they were authorised not to use the money by undisclosed authorities.
The committee after further interrogation went into a closed session that lasted for 30 minutes.
The two-day hearing was to look at the loopholes of FERMA and strengthen it particularly on how the agency could work effectively.
The chairman said that another hearing would be scheduled for next week.
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Reps condemn FERMA over unpaid Contractors’ bills
The House of Representatives has expressed disappointment over the refusal of the Federal Road Maintenance Agency (FERMA) to paid its contractors for 2015 projects.
The Committee said there was no tenable reason for FERMA not to pay over N1b it owes its contractors for 2015 completed projects because provision had been made for it.
Speaking at FERMA’s 2016 budget performance session on Tuesday, chairman of the Committee, Jerry Alagboso said the Committee’s intervention became necessary because of complaints from contractors.
Alagboso however queried the rationale behind non-payment of the contractors when it was confirmed to the Committee that funds were made available to offset the 2015 debt.
“When the contractors complained of not being paid having completed their road maintenance contracts since 2015, we had to intervene and requested to see the Minister on how to offset the debt.
“The Minister asked for the list of the projects which we believed was provided. Now, money has been released, yet the contractors have not been paid, whereas we have been informed that the money had been used to pay the contractors.”
Earlier in his presentation, FERMA’s acting Managing Director, Engr. Peter O. Ibu said though the agency was set for the second phase of its project procurement for 2016, lack of funds has made it impossible to execute any for the year.
While he disclosed that N10b was released to the agency a day before the budget session, the acting MD said the agency had specific instictions on how the released fund should be spent.
He said there was no way the fund would have been used to offset the 2015 debt.
He said: “There is no correlation between the released money and the 2015 debt. We sent a list of all projects to the Ministry and 2015 was part of it but payment was tied to specific projects carried out in 2016.
“We have a letter that the money must be paid with what was released in 2016”.
He expressed concern over the new budget preparation format that made it difficult for the agency to make interventions without having to flout procurement laws.
“Before now, we used to have a single line item for overhead which makes it possible for us to make quick interventions for some road maintenance but it is no longer so,” he added.
While the Committee insisted on when and how the contractors would be paid, the acting Chairman assured that some of the debts would be attended to from the N10b release made to the agency.