Why 45km Oyo-Iseyin Road Wasn’t Listed Among FERMA Projects

Commuters of the Oyo-Iseyin road are to look up to the Federal Ministry of Works and Housing for the reconstruction of the road as the Federal Road Maintenance Agency (FERMA) has explained that maintenance of the road is not in the agency’s 2019 budget.

Zonal Coordinator, South West 1, FERMA, Mrs Mary Adeniran, who disclosed this during an appearance at plenary of the Oyo State House of Assembly, pointed out that the Oyo-Iseyin road had gone beyond routine maintenance which was the primary duty of the agency.

Adding, she noted that FERMA was handicapped to intervene on the road not only by limited resources to oversee 34,000 kilometres of roads but also by the fact that the road was not among FERMA projects for 2019.

Noting that the Federal Ministry of Works and Housing was aware of the deplorable state of the Oyo-Iseyin road, she expressed the belief that going by the assurance obtained from the Controller of Works, rehabilitation work on the road will begin soon.

“The Oyo-Iseyin road is 45km in length and the situation on the road is very deplorable. FERMA as an agency is a maintenance outfit and there is little we can do when a road has become very deplorable.

“Sometimes we get to a point where we draw the attention of the Controller for Works, that is the Federal Ministry of Works and Housing and that is what we have done in this situation.

“The Controller of Works has given us reliable information that the Federal Ministry of Works and Housing is doing something concerning that road. Very soon, we believe work will start on that road.

“If we have resources within our reach, we could say we could tackle some aspects of what is required on that road.

“But unfortunately, there is no provision under the allocation for FERMA projects in this year 2019 but under the Federal Ministry of Works and Housing, there is a provision for that specific road.

“For FERMA as an agency, right now, there is no contract on that road but the Federal Ministry of Works and Housing will do something on that road very soon,” Adeniran said.