Federal Road Emergency Road Maintenance Agency, FERMA, has commenced repairs of three federal roads in Abia State.
The affected roads include Aba-Azumini-Akwa Ibom Road; Umuahia- Bende- Ohafia Road; and Uturu-Mile 2- Ebonyi border Road.
Federal Road Maintenance Engineer (FRME), in charge of Abia State, Festus Okafor, who conducted newsmen round the affected roads on Thursday, said the move was to make federal roads in the state passable without stress.
He said the gesture which is in line with the 'Renewed Hope Agenda ' of President Bola Ahmed Tinubu, was aimed at making life stress-free for motorists and commuters in the state.
Okafor who explained that the repairs and patch works were being executed through direct labour, appealed to commuters in the state to be patient with the agency, assuring that other federal roads in the state will also receive attention based on the availability of resources.
According to him, the delays in intervention is usually caused by the bureaucracy involved in approvals concerning those that require contracts.
Okafor explained that intervention could come faster through direct labour if the damage were not of large scale.
He said, "The on-going patch works started two weeks ago and it is part of our proactive efforts to avoid further damage on the roads by arresting the situation early.
"We have washouts threatening to cut some roads especially Umuahia-Bende Road. We have done quick intervention through direct labour.
"We have also done some patch works on Aba-Azumini Road, and Uturu-Mile 2 - Ebonyi border Road to keep them motorable and reduce hardship on motorists.
"More federal roads will receive attention as we get more funds. We are waiting for more funds to enable us tackle massive failures on federal roads in the state."
The FERMA boss commended President Tinubu for mobilising the agency to enable it discharge its duties.
He also thanked the Managing Director of FERMA, Dr Chukwuemeka Agbasi for his proactivenes which is part of the reason for the successes recorded in the state.
Abia, according to FERMA, has a total of 14 federal roads.
