Provide regular updates on road rehabilitation, minster urges FERMA

The Minister of State for Works, Bello Goronyo, has urged the management of the Federal Roads Maintenance Agency to give regular updates concerning the ongoing rehabilitation of roads to the public, National Assembly and other stakeholders, to bridge communication gaps.

The minister gave the advice at a meeting with the management of FERMA and members of its board led by the Managing Director, Chukwuemeka Agbasi, on Wednesday in Abuja.

The development comes amidst dissatisfaction about the poor condition of Nigeria’s roads and the number of lives lost in road accidents by members of the National Assembly.

According to them, a state of emergency should be declared on all federal roads.

But reacting in a statement by the Director, Press and Public Relations, Mohammed Ahmed, on Wednesday, the minister urged the agency to widely publicise its achievements for proper appraisal by relevant stakeholders.

The statement read in part, “The Minister of State has urged the management of the Federal Roads Maintenance Agency to give regular updates to the National Assembly and other stakeholders, in order to bridge communication gaps.”

The meeting, which was the continuation of an earlier one held in Kano on Monday, was aimed at articulating a work plan with a clear roadmap for FERMA activities nationwide.

It was also to address the fallout of the invitation by the National Assembly, where the need to upscale communication between the two was emphasised and the need to always bring Board Members up to speed with the activities of the Agency.

He also listed grey areas observed in the non-implementation of the 2024 budget and urged the agency to draw a template for all ongoing FERMA projects to embark on a visit to all the geo-political zones to access projects being undertaken by the Agency.

Gonronyo further appreciated the management of FERMA and the Board for the visit, promising that such engagements will be held to bring the benefits of the Renewed Hope Agenda of President Bola Tinubu, which seeks to enhance infrastructure and transportation as enablers of growth.