ABUJA – (FERMA Report) – The Managing Director / CEO of the Federal Roads Maintenance Agency (FERMA), Nuruddeen Rafindadi (Engr) has said that the agency has completed an additional 212 capital projects to the 88 road projects earlier reported and over 100 direct labour works within FERMA’s scope of work nationwide.
Some of the completed projects, according to him include: the rehabilitation of Bambal – Buzawa Road along Kiyawa – Jama’are Federal Road in Bauchi State where the patching of potholes and laying of asphalt were done. He identified the other general maintenance works completed as the Kari – Yobe State Border Road. Adding, the Ganjuwa – Gubi Road linking Wussarawa Road has also enjoyed rehabilitation works such as scarification, provision of stone base, asphaltic overlay and construction of culverts.
Rafindadi also mentioned that the Federal Roads Maintenance Agency has recently disilted drainages on some Federal Roads in Edo State, while carrying out repairs on some bridges and failed portions of roads in the state, including the Benin Bypass and Ugonoba bridge amongst others. He however said that work on the failed carriageway at Ogheghe Junction along the Benin – Warri dual carriageway is ongoing.
He later informed that other works that have been completed here include: site clearance, laterite work on shoulders, boulder placement on carriageways and cement stabilization of challenging sections; repairs of failed carriageway sections and pothole patching on the Ogheghe Junction along the Benin – Warri dual carriageway; the Benin Township Road along Benin – Asaba dual carriageway and the Oluke – Sobe – Fon linking Ondo State Border Road in Edo State.
The MD also revealed that that in Plateau State, potholes along the Jos – Gimi – Fadan Kashi Roads and the Jos – Makurdi Road were also patched, including the general maintenance of other roads in Ilesha, Osun State through the intervention of FERMA.
While noting that in the North – Central Zone direct labour works were carried out up to 100% completion along the Abuja – Keffi Road and Gwagwalada Road, involving patching of potholes, disilting of drains, reinstatement and embankment washout, the Managing Director hinted that in the South – West Zone, road construction activities such as hydraulic structures, routine disilting of open covered drains, washout and repairs, palliative works and patching of potholes were done in Lagos, Ogun and Oyo States respectively.
“Some other completed projects in the South West include – maintenance works on the Lagos – Badagry Expressway stretching from Agbara – Atan, Olosha Bus Stop along Western Avenue – Agege Motor Road to Gbongan – Iwo – Oyo State Border Road. The work continued from here to Abeokuta Bakatari Road in Ogun State, up to Odo Oba along Oyo – Ogbomosho Old Road to Ibadan – Idi Ayunre Mamu Road,” he depicted.
“In the North East, the construction of reinforced concrete line drain along Kurba Gayiwuyo Road in Borno State, the patching of potholes along Maiduguri – Jos Road in Borno State (Sections I & II), construction of two cells reinforced concrete Box Culvert and Washout repairs along UBA – Askirambalala Road in Borno State as well as special repairs of Gumel – Maigatari – Niger Republic Road in Jigawa State were executed. Tthe disilting works on culvert/line drains and vegetation control along Kano State Border – Birnin Kudu – Bauchi State Border in Jigawa State have been 100% completed.”
In his analysis, Nuredeen stated that the reconstruction of failed sections of Box Culvert (Abuja Bound) along Kaduna – Abuja dual carriageway in Kaduna State and the reinstatement of collapsed portions of single and multiple Cell Pipe Culverts along the Kaduna – Birningwari – Niger State Border Road in Kaduna State are other interventions. He inferred that emergency repairs of collapsed 2-cell culverts and the reinstatement of embankment washouts along Kachia – Kwoi (Niger State) Border Road in Kaduna State and the repair of critical failures along the Kaduna – Abuja – Niger State (Abuja Bounds) are significant as well as the repair of critical failures along the Kaduna – Abuja – Niger State Border dual carriageway which is Kaduna Bound in Kaduna State.
He continued that vegetation/silt control of the Kaduna – Abuja dual carriageway (Section I-V) along with the vegetation/silt control of the Kaduna – Birnin Gwari dual carriageway (Section II) in Kaduna State have been done.
“Still in FERMA’s resolve to reach to all roads within its scope of works nationwide, FERMA has completed the reconstruction of failed sections, effected vegetation control, reinstated failed portions and reinforced concrete stone base on carriageways. It has also embarked on asphalt repairs and cutting of potholes to regular shapes, just as the disilting of line drains on roads in Kano and Kebbi States have been delivered,” he stated explaining to some concerned citizens the reason why FERMA is not carrying out activities on some roads.
Responding to questions on the cause of non-involvement in the rehabilitation of Agbor – Amukpe Road in Delta State, he announced that FERMA cannot carry out any rehabilitation work on roads where there is an ongoing contract. On the Ondo – Ore Road, the MD said that the contract for the road is being supervised by the Federal Ministry of Power, Works and Housing and so the agency can not intervene there.
Speaking on the Ukpagada – Ogoja Road in Cross River State, the MD allayed that the mandate of FERMA is for Federal Roads, adding that FERMA can only intervene on State and Local Government roads when such roads are appropriated under constituency projects. He further clarified on the roads in Nnewi, Anambra State that the agency has four road works proposed to be done in the 2018 capital appropriation around Nnewi which comprises the Oba – Nnewi – Okija Road, saying it has been advertised for tender.
