From Rose Ejembi, Makurdi
Benue State Governor, Samuel Ortom, has described the Federal Road Maintenance Agency (FERMA) saddled with the responsibility with maintaining federal roads as ineffective over the years.
The Governr who stated this while speaking with newsmen at the Government House Monday lampooned FERMA for claiming to have repaired a portion of the Makurdi-Lafia road which was washed away by the recent flood that hit parts of the state.
Governor Ortom who said whoever claimed to have repaired the road from the agency had lied expressed surprise that FERMA was claiming responsibility that they repaired that road, saying that it was not right.
“Whosoever is claiming responsibility from FERMA for repairing that road is a liar because it has been repaired at the instance of the Benue State Government through Triacta who are constructing the Mobile Barracks Road,” he stated.
“I directed the Commissioner of Works to get any of the contractors who are working on roads in the state to effect the repairs, Triacta and CGGC were contacted and because of the proximity of Triacta to the area that was damaged they came in swiftly and did the repairs as their corporate social responsibility.”
“We have also repaired another federal road in Gboko near Amaco Hotel, are they claiming responsibility on that one too? They should come to Benue State and I’ll show them where to go and repair roads. That agency has proven over the years that they’re ineffective; tell me what they have done. It’s not right for them to claim responsibility.”
Engineer Fagbohun Akin, Assistant Project Engineer of Triacta Construction Company who is in charge of the company’s projects in Nasarawa and Benue State collaborated Governor Ortom’s position saying it was the Benue state government that caused the repair of the road.
“It was the Commissioner for Works in Benue State that called us and we had to call our MD and he was the one that directed us to move to that site, not FERMA,” Engineer Akin stated.
“When I was passing by that site and I saw their (FERMA’s) bill board I had to call their PRM and he couldn’t give any cogent explanation, may be they are trying to also politicize it, I don’t know. FERMA is more interested in the monetary aspect; I can say that anywhere, FERMA is not interested in any job to be done anywhere.”