Citing findings from a commissioned study on federal roads nationwide, the Coalition of Civil Society Organisations for Transparency and Accountability has accused the Federal Roads Maintenance Agency (FERMA) under the leadership of Engr. Chukwuemeka Agbasi of poor performance.
It said for failing to meet its statutory responsibility, Agbasi should be sacked.
FERMA, a parastatal under the Ministry of Works is saddled with the responsibility of repairing and maintaining all Federal Roads across the country. However, current realities have shown that the agency has failed woefully in the discharge of its duties, turning Nigerian roads to death traps.
In a press release made available to journalists at a press conference in Abuja yesterday and signed by Danesi Momoh, Abdulquadri Y. Lawal and Ambassador Olukolade Akidele; the convener and co-conveners of the coalition respectively, the group demanded the immediate sack of Agbasi for ineptitude and lack of clearly articulated roadmap for the maintenance of federal roads across the country.
The coalition said, "It is with sadness and utter dismay that we wish to relay to Nigerians the state of Federal Roads many of which are death traps, monumental disasters and indeed, a huge embarrassment for a Country that has established a dedicated agency for road maintenance that is well funded through taxpayers money.
Nigerians are exposed to too much suffering due to bad roads. This should end now!
"FERMA is too important an agency to remain as useless and redundant as it is now. The current leadership of Engr. Dr. Chukwuemeka Agbasi is a colossal failure. The level of impunity and corruption currently ongoing at FERMA has become an eyesore with a total neglect of all roads to the chagrin of well-meaning Nigerians, Agbasi should therefore resign to give room for more competent hands.
While lauding the minister of works, Engr. Dave Umahi, for pioneering the redesign, renegotiation and showing a readiness to deliver new quality roads to Nigerians, the coalition maintained that FERMA under Agbasi had proven to be totally inept and appeared to have lost focus.
"Despite the laudable work the minister of works is doing, there is nearly zero intervention of FERMA on the federal roads, especially in preparation for the rainy season which is almost here with us now. Indeed, FERMA is a shadow of itself and the time for accountability is now as the agency cannot currently justify its existence and pay. Agbasi must therefore go," the coalition added.
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It, however, admitted that, while it's a bad idea to call for the scrapping of the agency because of it's immense potential, there must be a change of leadership at FERMA to ameliorate the plight of Nigerian road users and save innocent lives and property.
"According to the National Bureau of Statistics (NBS), Nigeria recorded 10,604 incidents of road crashes, with serious cases and fatalities amounting to over 60 per cent. These crashes are mainly due to bad roads, some of which unfortunately FERMA claimed to have done on paper, but which are not in existence in reality.
"While it will be extremely unwise to advocate the scrapping of FERMA, we however call on the immediate resignation of the Managing Director, Dr. Chukwuemeka Agbasi, or his sack by President Bola Ahmed Tinubu, to pave way for somebody who understands the urgency of the tasks before the agency and is therefore ready to address them", the release added.
The Coalition dismissed the excuse at FERMA regarding funding, insisting that it is nothing but blackmail on the part of government, stating further that failure to sack Engr. Dr. Chukwuemeka Agbasi, the Coalition will occupy all FERMA offices nationwide until justice is served.
