…Says it lacks federal character, demands immediate reversal
By Peter Anosike
A Northern group under the aegis of the Coalition of Northern Youth Progressive Forum has raised the alarm over what it called absence of federal character in the composition of the Federal Roads Maintenance Agency (FERMA) management team as presently constituted.
Addressing newsmen in Abuja, the nation’s capital at the weekend, the group called on President Bola Ahmed Tinubu to immediately order the Minster of Works, Dave Umahi to as a matter of urgency, correct the misnomer in the interest of the nation.
The National President of the group, Comrade Haliru Sani, stated that a situation whereby five out of the seven of the key departments in the agency are headed by directors of the Southwest extraction is totally unacceptable and not in tandem with the Nigerian constitution as regards to the federal character.
He quoted Section 14(3) of the 1999 constitution as amended, which captures the federal character as saying: “The composition of the government of the federation or any of its agencies and the conduct of its affairs shall be carried out in such a manner as to reflect the federal character of Nigeria and to promote national unity and also to command national loyalty, thereby ensuring that there shall be no predominance of persons from a few states or from a few ethnic or other sectional groups in that government or any of its agencies.”
His words: “Based on Section 14(3) of the 1999 constitution as amended which I have just read, where is the federal character principle in FERMA, where a region dominates the management team, this is totally unacceptable, the purpose of the federal character was to prevent the dominance by any sectional group, be it ethnic, geographic or religious, in the country’s political governance.”
According to Comrade Sani, “FERMA management as presently constituted makes a mockery of the unity of this nation that we strive to protect, a unity which is fragile as it is. The North has been marginalized.”
He said based on records made available to his group, Engr. Kolawole Olaniyi and Engr Adewumi Agbode are heading the key operational departments of the agency.
He said: “Mr Kunle Akintola heads the Finance and Account Department, Mrs Olumuyiwa Oke heads the Human Resources Department while Engr. Taiwo Koya heads the Public Works Department. All from the Southwest zone. Where is the North in all these?
“We are very certain that Mr. President who means well for this nation is not in the knowledge of this aberration and we call upon him to immediately direct the Honourable Minister of Works to do the needful in this regard.”
However, the group commended the President for the appointment of Dr Chuwkuemeka Agbasi as the FERMA MD/CEO, describing his appointment as a round peg in round hole, adding that the president eschewed ethnic considerations to bring to the fore again his characteristic nationalistic disposition and insatiable thirst for egg heads and competence.
The group reiterated its firm support for Dr Agbasi who it said has indeed started well, urging the Federal Government to give the agency the wherewithal and support to deliver on its mandate.
“As a pan-African/Nigerian body, we seize this opportunity to commend Mr. President for the appointment of Dr. Emeka Agbasi as the 5th substantive MD/CEO of FERMA, and to further pass a vote of implicit confidence in Dr Emeka Agbasi’s reign thus far, for gradually and deliberately enthroning an era of probity, excellence, meritocracy and performance in the agency.
“A progressively minded reformist like Agbasi would certainly need all the support he needs to succeed. We, therefore, call on the Federal Government, the performing Minister of Works, His Excellency Senator. Dave Nweze Umahi and stakeholders in the roads infrastructure sector to give the agency the ingredient she needs to deliver on her mandate,” the group pleaded.
The group also advised Dr Agbasi to as a matter of urgency reflect federal character amongst the members of the management of FERMA.
It could be recalled that during a recent FERMA management appearance before the House of Representative Committee on Federal Character, headed by Hon. Idris Ahmed Wase, the Committee frowned at the composition of the management team.
FERMA was established on November 30, 2002 by Act No. 7 of 2002 and Amendment Act, 2007, enacted by the National Assembly, making it the first major deliberate move by the nation to monitor and maintain federal roads.
Since inception, successive management teams composition have been deliberately constituted to reflect federal character and the spirit of the constitution until the present one.