FERMA Steps Up Action On Rehabilitation Of Roads In Oke Ogun

Disturbed by the reported cases of road crashes and other incidents attributable to the deplorable state of roads in Oyo State, the Federal Road Maintenance Agency (FERMA) has commenced rehabilitation of roads in the Oke-Ogun area.

Maintenance of the federal roads in the area had been halted due to reported cases of kidnapping, banditry, and other criminal activities.

Meanwhile, the agency, at the weekend, kick-started rehabilitation works on Kishi and Ago-Are/Saki roads, much to the admiration of motorists and other road users.

The project is being carried out through direct labour.

According to some road users, the rehabilitation will reduce the reported carnage on the roads and lower the cost of transporting farm produce to various markets in the area.

“The state of the roads in the Oke-Ogun area is appalling. The situation has resulted in a geometric increase in the prices of commodities as well as in the reported cases of road crashes.

“The cost of transporting farm produce to neighbouring markets has witnessed a steep increase in recent times due to the deplorable condition of the roads. Most of the road crashes recorded in the area have been attributed to this poor condition. However, with the intervention of FERMA, there will be a drastic reduction in the reported cases,” road users said.

Abdulraman Maruf Abiola described the intervention of FERMA as a welcome development. He added that if periodic rehabilitation is carried out on some of the roads in Oke-Ogun, there would be fewer reported cases of accidents, high transport costs, and other mishaps.

Abiola further noted that there are other bad portions of the Kishi/Igbeti road that need attention and appealed to FERMA and other relevant agencies at both federal and state levels to address them.

In his remarks, Engr. Olutunde Adepoju of the Federal Road Maintenance Agency, Oyo State Field Office, blamed the neglect of the federal roads in the Oke-Ogun axis on insecurity.

He lamented that most of the roads being rehabilitated were constructed around 1979–1980 and have not been adequately maintained.

“Maintenance is one of the things that we are lacking in anything that we do. We need to return to the basics to ensure that these items are attended to at the appropriate time,” he said.

He stated that the administration of President Bola Tinubu is already working on roads and ensuring that projects are implemented properly.

“The main constraint is finance, and I believe that the House of Representatives Chairman on FERMA, Hon. Remi Oseni, together with all other members of the Senate Committee on FERMA, are already working on how to increase the agency’s allocation. There is nothing we can do if funds are not available, but those concerned are already advocating for it. We pray that God will continue to help the President in the reforms that the New Hope agenda is pursuing.

“We are currently working in Kishi town, covering a total area of about 1,110 square metres, approximately 111 metres of asphalt. More or less, what we are doing here are sectional repairs.

“Our concern is to make the road motorable for the community, so we have to carry out rehabilitation of the area. As I mentioned, it is a sectional repair within the corridor. From here, we will move to Ago-Are.

“The Ago-Are axis spans from Iseyin, covering a total of 306 kilometres of road. The section we are repairing currently is about 268 kilometres, and our work covers approximately two kilometres that we are currently rehabilitating.”