FIC Report (Nasarawa State) – The Minister of State for Works, Bello Goronyo, has called for increased funding for the Federal Road Maintenance Agency (FERMA) for effective maintenance of federal roads across the country.
He made the call when inspecting the Lafia-Shendam Plateau border road maintenance project during a visit to the area on Tuesday, and observed that the annual budgetary allocation to the Federal Road Maintenance Agency (FERMA) was grossly inadequate for the maintenance of federal roads across the country.
The minister who lauded the contractor handling the project, Monical Global Services Limited, said that the intervention on the road had significantly improved the condition of the road.
“Seeing is believing. We have seen the intervention put forward by FERMA on this road, and you can now see that it is motorable. People are happy. Before now, the road was very bad, and there were numerous complaints that it was not motorable. We have seen the level of work, and we are satisfied that the contractor has done a good job,” Goronyo stated.
The minister also urged road users to help protect the infrastructure, stressing that the government had launched the “Operation Safeguard Our Roads” initiative to ensure longevity.
“We have already launched Operation Safeguard Our Roads, and the essence is to maintain our critical infrastructure. There is no point in putting barricades, and people should observe speed limits,” he said.
Goronyo reiterated that managing FERMA under the existing federal budget remains challenging due to the nation’s massive infrastructural deficit.
“I have said it time without number that there is no way you can manage FERMA under the budget. The infrastructural deficit is too high. We are managing over 36,000 km of roads, some of which were constructed over 40 years ago and have never received attention in the past,” he explained.
He noted that President Bola Tinubu, under the Renewed Hope Agenda, has prioritized road infrastructure development as a means of boosting the economy, creating employment opportunities for youths, and reducing poverty.
“It is now that Mr. President, under his Renewed Hope Agenda, has given a lot of attention to road infrastructure. He believes that focusing on road infrastructure will open up our economy, improve employment opportunities for our youths, and, of course, reduce hunger and poverty to take us to the promised land.”
Exploring Alternative Funding Sources, Goronyo added that the government is seeking alternative funding sources, including donations from international organizations and foreign governments.
“That is why, with the meagre resources FERMA is receiving from the federal government, we are trying to do more. We are looking at other sources of funding, such as donations from organizations and countries like Japan, which is donating equipment to FERMA,” he disclosed.
He further highlighted plans to optimize FERMA’s resources by leasing unused equipment to state and local governments to generate additional revenue.
“We are trying to float a Special Purpose Vehicle (SPV) where our equipment that is lying fallow can be used by sub-national entities and local governments. They can hire and use them at the sub-national level to generate more funds to support FERMA’s activities,” he said.
Additionally, Goronyo suggested that FERMA could source funds by tolling major roads and setting up weighbridges.
“We are also looking at the issue of weighbridges and sourcing funds through tolling our major roads. These are other revenue streams that we can explore to ensure FERMA efficiently manages our roads,” he stated.
Speaking during the inspection tour, the Managing Director, the Federal Road Maintenance Agency (FERMA), Chukwuemeka Agbasi, assured that the agency remains committed to maintaining the Lafia-Shendam road to prevent further deterioration.
“Once we have a proactive maintenance regime for this road, we derive more value from it, and road users will continue to enjoy it,” Agbasi said.
Signed
ARI, LIMAN AMINU.
HEAD OF CENTRE,
FIC, LAFIA.
