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The Federal Roads Maintenance Agency (FERMA) has commended President Bola Tinubu’s administration for providing intervention funding through the Sukuk programme, saying that the initiative has strengthened its capacity to recover deteriorating federal roads and improve travel experience across the country. The Managing Director and Chief Executive Officer of FERMA, Dr. Emeka Agbasi, gave the commendation during an inspection tour of Sukuk-funded road maintenance projects in Benue and Nasarawa states.
Speaking during the inspection in Benue State, where he assessed maintenance and recovery works on the Makurdi-Wannune Road around kilometre 29+000, Dr Agbasi said that the funding had enabled the agency to expand its interventions on federal roads.
“For our President, Bola Ahmed Tinubu, the agency owes you a lot of gratitude. Without the Renewed Hope Agenda, some of these accomplishments would not have been possible. We are offering Nigerians a good journey experience on our roads as a consequence of the funding that Sukuk has provided to the agency. “The Makurdi-Wannune Road, which connects Gboko to the Benue State capital, had deteriorated, necessitating maintenance intervention to improve the driving surface and support the movement of traffic along the corridor,” he noted.
The Zonal Director, North Central 2, Briye Vanokah, explained the scope of work and cautioned motorists against road abuse, urging them to protect the infrastructure to ensure the durability of the intervention.
In Nasarawa State, Agbasi inspected Sukuk-funded maintenance works on the Keffi-Gitata Road, where the agency is working to improve road conditions and sustain connectivity.
Reiterating the importance of protecting road infrastructure, the FERMA Managing Director said: “The message for road users would be to own the roads as if they were their own. Make sure that road abuses are avoided, and form a collaboration with the FERMA office here so that we can work together to prevent further deterioration.”
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The Federal Roads Maintenance Engineer in Nasarawa State, Onyegwa Bright Gozie, also outlined the scope of work on the road and urged motorists to avoid practices that could damage the infrastructure.
Agbasi stressed the importance of preventive maintenance, explaining that preserving existing road infrastructure was more cost-effective than allowing roads to deteriorate before undertaking major repairs.
He added that the impact of additional funding had been significant, enabling FERMA to recover more roads, improve their serviceability and create employment opportunities.
“The impact has been huge. Due to the additional funding, we have been able to recover more roads. Apart from that, we have also increased serviceability on our roads because of the improved road condition, and created more jobs as a consequence,” he said.
The inspection tour formed part of FERMA’s continuing efforts to monitor Sukuk-funded projects, ensure value for money and in the long run see that road maintenance interventions improve connectivity, support economic activities and enhance the travel experience of Nigerians.
