FERMA @20: Buhari hails performance as short call code 7727 unveiled for agency

…We require N300 bn for road maintenance—MD

By Chris Ochayi

The President, Muhammadu Buhari has described the performance of the Federal Road Maintenance Agency, FERMA, as a worthy example of what parastatals should be.

Buhari, who said this at the commemoration of the 20th anniversary of FERMA in Abuja, noted that parastatals were created to solve problems and not to become problems.

Represented by Minister of Works and Housing, Babatunde Raji Fashola, the President added that explained why the agency made it imperative for roads to be properly maintained because they are depreciating assets.

According to him, “The government has faced the problem of policy origination, Project Planning now needs to implement. And oftentimes, using the same thing to implement creates problems.

“Therefore, parastatals have evolved as a way of getting government business done to show results. And also this justifies the creation of parastatals.

“Let me also say that the reason why maintenance is necessary, especially with regards to the road, is that roads are depreciating assets. And every one of us in Nigeria must understand this.

“So, our engineers have a lot of work to do teaching people how roads are built, how roads need to be looked after.

“This must not be done in technical language, they must go to the street level to begin to educate Nigerians. It is when people understand the dos and don’ts of roads that perhaps, the biggest step in maintenance has started.

“Roads are depreciating assets, from the day when we start to drive on them, the life and asset value of that road begins to go down, and therefore you are already generating a maintenance need.

“The experts will tell you that after design and construction alone, which employs less than 40% of the workforce, it is maintenance and operation that creates the longest-lasting jobs and employs the largest number of people.

“This is why President Buhari has appropriately signed Executive Order 11, the maintenance order. Saying to all of us that maintenance is not a culture. It is an economy and it is one that we must appropriately watch because the rewards are very bountiful and very diverse”.

The President said whilst many people see just the roads as very important, he sees a much more impactful human experience, adding that “the road is a life-impacting asset and a total economic package. Many people’s lives and livelihoods depend upon it. There’s a vast supply chain behind the road network.

He assured that his administration will do whatever is needed to preserve Nigeria roads.

Earlier in his remarks, FERMA’s Managing Director and Chief Executive Officer, Engr. Nuruddeen Rafindadi while presenting a paper title “FERMA @20 the Journey so far, challenges and way forward” disclosed that the agency requires N300 billion on an annual basis to maintain thousands of Nigeria Federal Highway Networks (FHN).

Rafindadi said despite maintenance backlogs, FERMA in 2021/2022 succeeded in maintaining 7,926.30 kilometers of federal roads nationwide.

The MD commended the Buhari administration for it’s continuous support to the agency and the Ministry of Works.

Rafindadi said, ” FERMA’s deliberate strategy is to imprint the legacy of President Muhammadu Buhari’s administration by rapidly revamping the Federal Road Network (FRN) and becoming more responsive to the negative impact of climate change on Nigeria roads.

Speaking about the challenges facing the agency explained that, “current budgetary appropriation releases is far less than the required target.“ He equally made a case for alternative funding for road maintenance.

In his remarks, the Minister of Water Resources, Engineer Suleiman Hussein Adamu cautioned that maintenance of our infrastructure will continue to be challenged, so long as we do not appreciate the investment that has been made.

He said, “I think we need to do more in educating the public on the need to know our road infrastructure appropriately.

“Issues of road trucks carrying flammable materials and lots of other recklessness are sometimes the major causes of damage on our road. All sorts of careless and irresponsible behavior by drivers on the road must be stopped.

Highlights of the event include launching of the FERMA @20 Special Edition book and the Short call code.

The Short-code 7727 will enable Nigerians to call and lodge complaints on the state of roads around them.