The Nation Newspaper

Tag: FERMA

  • FERMA begins repair of Federal roads in Ekiti

    FERMA begins repair of Federal roads in Ekiti

    The Federal Roads Maintenance Agency (FERMA) has started repairing some federal roads in Ekiti State to bring relief to motorists and commuters plying them.

    Ifaki-Ikole-Omuo-Kogi State boundary road, which is “receiving the immediate attention of the agency”, is the busiest federal road in the state.

    Apart from serving as the link road to the Federal Capital Territory, the road also serves as alternative route to motorists and commercial drivers going to Abuja from Kwara State, who now avoid Egbe-Kabba-Okene portion because it had remained impassable.

    FERMA’s executive management team led by the Executive Director (Administration and Human Resources Development), Degi Eremienyo, was on hand to assess the extent and quality of work done.

    Eremienyo hailed the agency’s officials in Ekiti for the work done so far.

    The team also inspected other critical roads in Ekiti to assess the extent of damage and propose possible measures to mitigate the situation.

    The state’s FERMA’s Maintenance Engineer, Emmanuel Onu, said the repair “is being carried out to save critical washouts and failures on federal roads due to the effect of the rains”.

  • Robbery: FERMA, IGP partner on highway safety

    Robbery: FERMA, IGP partner on highway safety

    The Federal Road Maintenance Agency (FERMA) and the ?Nigeria Police Force (NPF) will deploy 90 patrol vehicles to ensure safety of commuters on federal highways across the nation.

    The partnership will also include clearing of vegetation in dangerous locations along the Abuja-Lokoja express road.

    The Inspector General of Police, Solomon Arase during an inspection visit with FERMA Managing Director, Gabriel Amuchi at the weekend disclosed that the partnership became very important to prevent activities of hoodlums.

    He said the Police officers were ready to partner with other relevant stakeholders, adding that the second phase of the collaboration will be on Auchi-Iruekpe road.

    “This stretch of the road has become a source of security concern to us due to armed robbery and kidnappers.

    “So I decided to seek the assistance of FERMA to see how we can open the space here as part of our security prevention to ensure that the

    place is safe.

    “I have always said it that security cannot be left to police alone, all other stakeholders are crucial to ensure that we have a secure environment and you could see that what they are doing is crucial to ensure that the highways are safe.

    “It is going to be a continuous process but you know that the cost implication would be taken into consideration. Once we are able to

    take of this axis we would face Auchi- Iruekpe and Ehor black spots where hoodlums are also notorious and we would also appeal to FERMA to intervene in those areas to address the security challenges.”

    Amuchi said aside from safety of travellers, clearing of the roadside vegetation will aid better visibility of drivers.

    He said the agency had commenced monitoring of the right of ways through a committee which includes the Nigeria Security and Civil

    Defence Corps (NSCDC), Federal Road Safety Corps (FRSC) among other Para-military bodies.

    “What is happening here is a very strong collaboration and because of these hoodlums, we need serious security presence and patrol.

    “At the end of this clearing we would improve visibility and sight scene so it is going to be a continuous relationship and in other flash points we would also need collaboration to commence work in your place for safety.”

    The Kogi State Police Commissioner, Samuel Ogunjemilusi, described the partnership as prompt, stressing that there would be no hiding place for kidnappers on the road because motorists can see criminals far apart and inform the police or make u-turn.

    “We were given 90 vehicles to patrol the high way and we are everywhere on the road. So once we are able to create this visibility, there would be no hiding place for criminals in Kogi state.

    “We have already flushed them out of the town and we are moving to flush them out of the highway.

    “The beauty of it was that our response time would be fast and we would savage the highway together with FERMA,” Ogunjemilusi added.

     

  • FERMA, police partner to secure Abuja-Lokoja-Okene road

    FERMA, police partner to secure Abuja-Lokoja-Okene road

    The Federal Roads Maintenance Agency (FERMA) said it is collaborating with the Nigeria Police Force to combat crimes on the nation’s highways and enhance safety throughout the year.

    This is contained in a statement issued by the Public Relations Officer of the agency, Mrs Susan Chukwunwem on Saturday in Abuja.

    The News Agency of Nigeria reports that the Managing Director of FERMA, Mr. Gabriel Amuchi and the Inspector-General of Police, Mr. Solomon Arase had a joint inspection tour of the Abuja-Lokoja-Okene road.

    The statement said the joint inspection tour was aimed at identifying the black spots along the Abuja-Lokoja-Okene road, particularly the Osara Village, Iruekpe in Kogi.

    It said the notorious black spot (Osara Village), with over grown vegetation had been harbouring criminals, who incessantly unleashed their evils activities on innocent road users.

    According to the statement, Amuchi said the partnership between his agency and the Nigeria Police Force was a demonstration of government’s determination to ensure safety of roads users.

    “What is happening here is a very strong collaboration and because of hoodlums, we need serious security presence and patrol.

    “At the end of this clearing, we would improve visibility and sight-seeing and it is going to be a continuous relationship in other flash points.

    “We will need collaboration to commence work in safety places and the collaboration is in line with government directive to help Nigerians heave a sigh of relief,’’ he said.

    It quoted the IGP as saying that, “this stretch of road has become a source of security concern to us due to armed robbery and kidnapping attacks.

    “The Commissioner of Police in Kogi has been working tirelessly but the nature of the forest has given succour to hoodlums who always come out of the forest to attack people.

    “All other stakeholders are working tirelessly to ensure that we have a secured environment and the highways are also safe for travelers.

    “I decided to seek the assistance of FERMA to see how we can open a space here as part of our security prevention to ensure that the place is safe,’’ Arase said.

    He said that the ongoing vegetation control of the identified black spots would be a continuous exercise to enhance motorist visibility to deter criminal acts.

    The statement noted that the agency had commenced the monitoring of the right of way through a committee comprising of the Police, FRSC and the NSCDC, to stop further abuse of people’s right of way.

  • FERMA begins rehabilitation of federal roads in Southwest

    THE Federal Roads Maintenance Agency (FERMA) has commenced inspection, assessment and rehabilitation of all federal roads across the Southwest states.

    The Deputy General Manager, Road Maintenance Management Services (RMMS) Mrs Bola Ilemore spoke with reporters in Ibadan, on during a tour of federal roads.

    Ilemore revealed that the essence of the inspection exercise, which, according to her, commenced from Lagos State, is expected to provide a platform for maintenance of all federal roads in the region.

    Ilemore, who led a team of FERMA officials on the iexercise in Oyo State from old Oyo/Ojoo Road in Ibadan through Ibadan Expressway-Iseyin/Oyo old Road-Ado-Awaye  and Maya/Igboora Road, said the Federal Government is determined to improve on the current status of its  roads nation-wide.

    Those who were part of the tour were Mrs Ilamore; the zonal co-ordinator Southwest, Mrs Mary Adeniran, representative of FERMA in Oyo State, Francis Ishabiyi, Yemi Olaniyan and Mrs Adunola Bamgbopa.

    Ilemore stated that the aim was to ensure that the intervention works that had been done before now are sustained. She added that the exercise was also targeted at looking at the federal roads generally, identify critical failure areas and make arrangement and recommendation to government on how to commence the repairs of these failures immediately.

    Ilemore said: “We’re also inspecting our repair works and maintenance contracts generally and direct labour works to ensure that these works are done in line with our specifications and standards.

    “We actually commenced the exercise in Lagos State. In Lagos, we inspected Lagos-Badagry/Seme Border dual carriage way, Apapa/Oworonsoki dual carriage way, Murtala Mohammed International Airport Road, Ikorodu/Itoikin Road and Ikorodu/Sagamu Road.  “In all the roads inspected, our contractors are working while our direct labour work are also in progress and the quality of work done is satisfactory. What we saw was in line with our specification and standards and we have looked generally at our drainage network. We’re also ensuring the desilting of base to allow for timely discharge of run off from our roads whenever it rains.

    Then, we proceeded to Ogun State and inspected Agbara/Atan Road, Ota/Abeokuta Expressway and moved to Papalanto/Sagamu Road, then to  Sagamu/Ajebandele Expressway. There also, work is in progress with our contractors and we have identified critical washout which we’re going to effect and ensure that repairs are done immediately.

    “In Oyo State, we started with Oyo/Ibadan Old Road and Ibadan/Oyo Expressway. We inspected a critical washout on the road, the old alignment on Oyo road and have identified the problems and we have also come up with solutions. In no time, we will commence repair work of that failed section.

    For Ibadan/Oyo Expressway, we discovered movement of the wearing course on the surface of the road and we’re looking at milling and overlaying the peeled section of the road. Maybe, in the nearest future, we may consider entire overlay stretch of the road to further strengthen the road.”

    She addressed reporters in Maya where FERMA is currently providing alternative bridge which had been dilapitated over the years.

    Mrs Ilemore said FERMA’s main priority was to ensure that all road users across the country ply the road with ease,  adding that work will soon be completed on the bridge for the use of the people of the area.

  • FERMA begins rehabilitation of federal roads 

    FERMA begins rehabilitation of federal roads 

    The Federal Roads Maintenance Agency (FERMA) has commenced inspection, assessment and rehabilitation of all federal roads across the south west states.

    This was disclosed by the deputy general manager, Road Maintenance Management Services (RMMS) Engineer (Mrs) Bola Ilemori, while speaking with newsmen in Ibadan, on Wednesday during a tour of federal roads in the state.

    Ilemori, disclosed that the essence of the inspection exercise, which according to her commenced from Lagos State, is expected to provide a platform for maintenance of all federal roads in the region.

    Ilemori, who led a team of other FERMA officials in the inspection of federal roads team in Oyo state from old Oyo/Ojoo road in Ibadan through, Ibadan/expressway-Iseyin/Oyo old road-Ado-Awaye and Maya/Igboora road, said the Federal Government is determined to improve on the current status of its
    roads nationwide.

    The officials in the team of engineers who made the tour with Ilamori include: the zonal coordinator South West (Mrs) Mary Adeniran, representative of FERMA in Oyo State, Francis Ishabiyi, Yemi Olaniyan and Mrs Adunola Bamgbopa.

    Ilemori stated that the aim is to ensure that the intervention works that had been done before now are sustained.

    She added that the exercise is also targeted at looking at the federal roads generally, identify critical failure areas and make arrangement and recommendation to commence the repairs of these failures
    immediately.

    According to Ilemori; “We’re also inspecting our repair works and maintenance contracts generally and direct labour works to ensure that these works are done in line with our specifications and standards.

    “We actually commenced the exercise in Lagos State. In Lagos, we inspected Lagos-Badagry/seme border dual carriage way, Apapa/Oworonsoki dual  carriage way, Murtala Mohammed International airport road, Ikorodu/Itoikin road and Ikorodu/Sagamu road.

    “In all the roads inspected, our contractors are working while our direct labour work is also in progress and the quality of work done is satisfactory. What we saw is in line with our specification and standards and we have looked generally at our drainage network. We’re also ensuring the desilting of base to allow for timely discharge of run off from our roads whenever it rains.

    Then, we proceeded to Ogun State and inspected Agbara/Atan road, Ota/Abeokuta expressway and moved to Papalanto/Sagamu road, then to Sagamu/Ajebandele expressway. There also, work is in progress with our contractors and we have identified critical washout which we’re going to effect and
    ensure that repairs are done immediately.

    “In Oyo State,we started with Oyo/Ibadan old road and Ibadan/Oyo expressway. We inspected a critical wash out on the road, the old alignment on Oyo road and have identified the problems and we have also come up with solutions. In no time, we will commence repair work of that failed section.

    “For Ibadan/Oyo expressway, we find out movement of the wearing course on the surface of the road and we’re looking at milling and overlaying the peeled section of the road. Maybe in the nearest future, we may consider entire overlay stretch of the road to. Further strengthen the road.”

  • FERMA begins rehabilitation of Northeast roads

    The Managing Director, Federal Roads Maintenance Agency (FERMA), Mr. Gabriel Amuchi, has directed the rehabilitation of federal roads in the Northeast.

    He said the project would be carried out by a committee of FERMA Zonal Coordinators and the Federal Roads Maintenance Engineers (FRMEs) in the geopolitical zone.

    A statement yesterday in Abuja by the Head, Communications and Public Relations, Mrs. Maryam Sanusi, said the project was tagged: ‘FERMA Intervention Team on Critical Roads in the Northeast’.

    She said the team’s programme would begin immediately, pending formal launch in Bauchi State, the working headquarters.

    According to the statement, the team was headed by the Executive Director, Roads Maintenance Management Services, Garba Mubi, with the following terms of operation: Group response to failed locations along safe roads; sustain routine maintenance along federal roads in the zones; utilise available resources for effective deployment; ensure safe and secure operation within the team and carry out other assignments approved by the management.

    The team was advised to work cautiously, observing safety measures at all times and give progress report with pictures on a weekly basis, fortnightly and a monthly comprehensive report of the intervention progress.

    The FERMA managing director assured that the agency would deliver on its mandate of effectively and efficiently maintaining federal roads nationwide, within available resources.

     

     

  • Our Girls; FERMA failure; Social Media Awards; A Political Party Corruption Index for Jonathan vs Buhari      

    Our Girls; FERMA failure; Social Media Awards; A Political Party Corruption Index for Jonathan vs Buhari      

    Our Girls are still missing since April 15 denying families of the joy of the holiday season.

    FERMA must try to overcome its growing reputation for sleeping during the year and only waking up like Father Xmas –once a year-to declare ‘zero tolerance for potholes for Yuletide and New Year travellers’. Are we idiot children to be given ‘pothole filling’ as an annual gift? We all know that end of year budgets are used to steal money from contractors, contracts and government. Shame. FERMA should apologise to the millions who have lost time, money, tyres, vehicles and limbs and even lives in the potholes FERMA could not fill for 11 months. Be assured that very little pothole filling has taken place on the Lagos-Ibadan road. The massive traffic jam this last Saturday caused a marked traffic diversion to the Abeokuta/Papalanto Road and Abeokuta/ Agege Expressway both mislabelled as their condition makes them in a good position to compete for the ‘Road with a 1000 potholes’ Prize.  In the UK, government pays compensation to pothole accident victims and replaces their tyres etcetera. What exactly does FERMA do for the rest of the year apart from recruit Sure-P black shirts in Lagos and drive state officials off ‘abandoned for lack of funds’ federal roads? FERMA is not a good advert for the Federal Might!

    Hurray for the First Social Media Awards held recently in Lagos. It is a good step in the right direction and draws attention to the massive failure of the majority of companies and corporations and even the media to pay much more attention to influencing society and the lives of citizens through social media messages than currently done. For years we have been fighting for a larger space in the media for life skill messaging which has less than 1one percent of total media space in contrast to the commercial message which takes up 99% of advert space but does not affect or save life. The Ebola media triumph should be studied and replicated for many diseases including typhoid and life threatening conditions in same way Ebola was defeated through the media.

    Speaking politics, the primaries seem superficially to have been the most successful in history. But did the delegates vote or were they pushed or ordered?  We have no idea how much of Nigeria’s money changed hands in the direction of the delegates and how much godfatherism and godmotherism went on. The Lagos State PDP figures are touted as tainted with an overflow of 50+votes miscounted or mysteriously included. However even if 50 or 60 votes were legally added to the protestor or subtracted from the winner, would that change the outcome?

    With the outcome of both the PDP and APC primaries throwing up incumbent Jonathan and past military leader Buhari, the discerning voters of Nigeria have the opportunity to choose between the ‘questionable consistency of delivery’ of the PDP since 1999 to 2015 and the opportunity for change thrown up by the APC/Buhari ticket.  The voters are asking if Nigeria can endure another four years of PDP-style control and another four years of high internationally measured corruption? The new improved Buhari on the other hand, still has questions to answer on the malicious warped North-South wealth distribution  when he was running PTF.  Will such a man, who was unfair over PTF funds, be fair with the country’s budget? Has he learnt any lessons and can he run the country fairly? APC mysteriously touts the ‘holier than thou’ anti-corruption card and the APC perceived record of outdoing the PDP in service delivery and good governance. However the APC is by no means a white lily of anti-corruption and needs to massively improve on its anti-corruption activities, with some believed to own massive assets from governance. The overbearing exercise of ‘posts and position power’ has seen the Senate and Reps and governorship positions populated by the chosen family and loyalists. There is a big debate in the minds of voters about party corruption. Where do PDP, APC et cetera stand on the Political Party Corruption Index?  The truth is that most in the South are frightened at the prospect of negative growth expected under another northern government at the federal level as northern governments are known for their ‘North is superior policies and practices’. Nigerians know that the any southern in the government will be the usual ‘yes’ and AGIP, Any Government In Power, men and women who are infamous for looking the other way and asking no questions while others suck the life out of Nigeria.

    The electorate will vote as it is necessary to keep democracy running against the threat of a military take-over. The progressive states will have an advantage if they first stop party corruption immediately and ‘divert’ all incoming revenues towards honest budgetary spending. This spending should be on pothole filling- ‘Make straight our path’, textbook distributing –‘books now, buildings later’, school upgrading, salary and pension paying – ‘a labourer is worthy of his hire’, bridge repairing, scholarship giving, sports supporting, Boy Scout etcetera supporting programme all added to the planned stomach politics. The people’s happiness is dependent on both stomach and development.

    Everyone, politician and pauper, voter and violent politician, has a stomach. Why should it only be politicians who have a full and potbellied stomach and rosy cheeks when even the potholes remain unfilled?

  • FERMA re-launches operation zero potholes

    The Managing Director of Federal Roads Maintenance Agency (FERMA), Mr Gabriel Amuchi, has said the agency is mobilising to re-launch the operation zero potholes programme to make all arterial Federal roads motorable nationwide for this yuletide period.

    He said this in Kabba, Kogi State while on an inspection tour of some federal roads in Kogi State. According to him, FERMA engineers are being mobilised to utilise the dry season to achieve massive road repairs.

    This, he said, is to re-enact the “safe passage” initiative carried out in 2012/2013.

    He also inspected the failing expansion joints on Murtala Mohammed Bridge at Kotonkarfe. According to him, the bridge is an old one with an old design; heavy traffic on the bridge has necessitated continuous maintenance. He assured that with the transformation agenda of the government on road sector, the agency will not wait till any bridge collapses in the country.

    The FERMA boss was also on the Lokoja – Okene road where he assessed failed sections of the road at the Federal College of Education, Okene. He instructed the contractor to speed up the work, taking into cognisance that the road is a major transport link with high traffic volume which connects the North and the South.

    Amuchi was also in Kabba to inspect a bridge at the Ahmadu Bello University College of Agriculture campus. He said the agency is positioned to take proactive steps in ensuring that the road condition across the country will be given necessary attention during this dry season.

  • ‘FERMA needs more cash for road projects’

    ‘FERMA needs more cash for road projects’

    THE Managing Director of the Federal Roads Maintenance Agency, Gabriel Amuchi, said yesterday Nigeria needs extra-budgetary funding from multilateral agencies and other sources to service about 35,000 kilometres federal roads.

    He noted that funding in the sector was through budgetary allocations, which, he added, was at the mercy of the “envelope” the Federal Government could part with.

    But Amuchi said other sources of funding such as the five per cent fuel user charge and the International Transit Vehicle charge, as contained in the agency’s Amendment Act, were need to maintain roads.

    Amuchi, who spoke at an interactive session with reporters in his office yesterday in Abuja, explained: “The agency is funded through appropriation and maybe, in a year, we may need “x” amount of money and maybe the Federal Government would say this is the envelope we can afford to give you.  You are then left to work with that envelope.

    “It is released quarterly.  But you won’t fold your arms because your allocations are not released at once. What you do is to project (road) failures, tackle failures by spreading what is available to you to tackle areas that need immediate attention, either through direct operations or minor contracts”.

    “There are provisions in the Amendment Act for the five per cent user charge, as well as International Transit Vehicle Charges. But those funds are still not being accessed.  They are still being processed.

    “Globally, road maintenance is not carried out depending on annual appropriations. That is why in the United Kingdom (UK), they charge Road Users Tax, Access Tax and Petroleum Tax. Whatever you do in the UK and the United States (U.S.), you pay some tax because road use is for everybody.”

    The FERMA boss added: “The moment you get out of the plane at the airport, the next place you get to is the road.  If you are going to the airport, you need the road.  If you are going to travel, you need the road to travel.

    “But in our country, we are still in the process of sourcing funds elsewhere and be less dependent on appropriations”.

    Amuchi, who said the agency had changed the face of federal roads since his administration came on board in 2011, said over 60 per cent federal roads had received maintenance despite the paucity of funds.

    He said: “It is dignifying to highlight that the agency has turned the roads situation from the state when there were calls for the declaration of emergency to a state where people are now saying that they recognise that the roads are much better.  There is much to be done, but a lot has been done.”

    He noted that the frequency of road accidents occurring because of road failure had  reduced.

    “Available reports now have it that most accidents now occur because of bad manipulations.  Somebody may be trying to overtake in a place he shouldn’t and before you know it, there is head-on collision”, he said.

  • FERMA, Lagos to fix Apapa Road

    FERMA, Lagos to fix Apapa Road

    An engineer with the Federal Roads Maintenance Agency (FERMA), Tayo Awodun, has said the agency was collaborating with the Lagos State government to tackle flooding on Apapa Road.

    Awodun told the News Agency of Nigeria (NAN) that the flood was caused by the reclamation that was carried out on the site for displaced residents of Ijora Badia.

    He added that canals and existing drains would be expanded to cater for the resultant surge, and FERMA would work a design to solve the problem.

    “The section that is bad, presently we have filled it up with boulders so that vehicles can still move on pending when permanent work would be done because we can‘t work there until we get the water out.

    “The government has decided to also create a channel. It has a plan of building a new channel to direct the water out of the place. But pending then is why we put boulders to make it motorable for road users.’’