Some of the stakeholders and management of FERMA at a-one day critical stakeholders workshop on road maintenance in Akwa Ibom state.
By Abasifreke Effiong, Uyo
Road transport unions and commuters in Akwa Ibom state have called on the Federal Road Maintenance Agency, FERMA, to improve its response to emergencies on highways.
Stakeholders in the road sector in Akwa Ibom said delay in evacuation of cars involved in road crashes and intervention on bad portions on highways were detrimental to safety on the road.
A participant recalled that five persons were killed in multiple crash along the now impassable Calabar-Itu road because agencies responsible for road safety failed to evacuate the first car involved in the road crash, hence causing other cars to ramp into it.
Participants at the one day critical stakeholders workshop organised by FERMA in collaboration with LoftyInc Allied Partners Ltd., lauded the federal government for deploying tax credit policy to construct more roads in the country, drew the attention of FERMA to poor road markings along the Ikot Ekpene – Azumini road and other highways as well as poor visibility of road safety signage.
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They called on the Federal Ministry of Works to take the needs of persons with disabilities, PWDs, especially those who would have to cross the highway on wheelchair and white canes into consideration in the design and construction of roads.
While lauding FERMA for its recent intervention on Ekparakwa road, the participants called on security agencies to check illegal and incessant digging of road sides to fill bad portions on the road which they noted has caused irreparable damage to roads.
They expressed disappointment over the continued delay in the reconstruction of Calabar-Itu road.
Speaking, the south-south zonal coordinator of FERMA, Engr. Adebayo Adedayo, represented by Engr. Michael Oluwagbemi, said the Calabar-Itu road project was delayed by the impediment created by the host communities.
“The delay on the Calabar-Itu road is as a result of compensation issues. People went and constructed emergency shanties to get compensation after the federal government awarded contract for the road. Our people are the ones throwing impediment on that project. That road has lacked funding due to this issue. The community should know that they have contributed to the delay of the project.”
In a keynote, Engr. Adedayo, said roads are part of the critical infrastructure of the nation requiring all stakeholders to make inputs on how it should be maintained.
He said stakeholders’ inputs would form part of road policy and guide government investment on roads.
Engr. Adedayo, said FERMA was working with the Ministry of Works to implement the Federal Government Economic Sustainability Programme in the road sector which he said will create ad hoc jobs for 30,000 youths for a duration of three months.
The FERMA Engineer in Akwa Ibom state, Engr. Onimago Lukman, lauded stakeholders in road sector in the state for their contributions at meeting, saying that the meeting will deepen collaboration between FERMA and all stakeholders.
In his contributions, the chairman, Akwa Ibom State Roads and Other Infrastructure Maintenance Agency, AKROIMA, Prince Godwin Ntuk Udeh, sued for more collaboration between FERMA and state actors in the road sector.
Presentations were made by the representatives of the Commissioner of Police, Akwa Ibom State, the FRSC sector commander, NURTW, NATO, the media and other critical stakeholders.
The theme of the workshop was “raod maintenance, our collective responsibility”.
