The Federal Roads Maintenance Agency (FERMA) has applauded President Bola Tinubu’s administration for providing intervention funding through the Sukuk programme, saying the president’s reform agenda has enabled the agency to rehabilitate several deteriorating federal highways and improve the travel experience across the country.
The Managing Director and Chief Executive of FERMA, Dr. Emeka Agbasi, made the comments during an inspection tour of Sukuk-funded maintenance work on the Makurdi-Wannune Road in Benue State and the Keffi-Gitata Road in Nasarawa State.
“The agency owes you a lot of gratitude,” Agbasi said, addressing the president.
“Without the Renewed Hope Agenda, some of these accomplishments would not have been possible,” he added.
He said the Makurdi-Wannune corridor links Gboko to the Benue State capital and had deteriorated before maintenance crews began improving its driving surface and supporting traffic movement.
In Nasarawa, Agbasi said FERMA is carrying out work intended to improve road conditions and preserve connectivity along the Keffi-Gitata route.
He added that the inspections are part of a broader effort to monitor spending, ensure value for money and assess whether maintenance interventions are improving mobility and economic activity.
Agbasi said preventive maintenance is more cost-effective than allowing roads to deteriorate before commissioning major repairs.
He also stated that additional funding had allowed the agency to rehabilitate more roads, improve their serviceability and create jobs.
“The impact has been huge,” he said.
“Due to the additional funding, we have been able to recover more roads… and create more jobs as a consequence,” he added.
Briye Vanokah, FERMA’s Northcentral 2 zonal director, outlined the scope of the work in Benue and urged motorists to avoid practices that damage road infrastructure.
Also, Bright Gozie, the agency’s maintenance engineer in Nasarawa, issued a similar appeal.
Agbasi said road users should treat public highways as their own and work with FERMA’s local offices to prevent further deterioration.
“Make sure that road abuses are avoided,” he said.
