Abuja – December 13, 2023 – Viewpoint Housing News.
The Senate and House Committee Members on FERMA have expressed disapproval of FERMA’s funding and have called for an increase in the agency’s annual financial allocation.
Sen. Hussaini Babangida Uba, the chairman of the Senate Committee on FERMA, made this statement today during the hearing for the presentation of the FERMA 2023 Performance/2024 Budget Defence during a joint meeting of the Senate and House Committees on FERMA.
The Chairman said that because FERMA receives an annual budgetary allocation far less than what the Agency requires to fulfil its duty of maintaining federal roads across the country, FERMA is unable to live up to the public’s expectation that all roads be motorable and safe for users.
The Chairman went on to say that the deplorable state of federal highways around the nation necessitates immediate intervention in order to lessen the misery of drivers.
He said, however, that FERMA is doing a fantastic job given its limited resources, but that this work is underappreciated since it only has a tiny impact on the majority of the population. He instructed FERMA to increase its spending on media and stakeholder engagement so that the public might learn about and appreciate its accomplishments, difficulties, and goals. In order for FERMA and the Agency to be in agreement, he also urged FERMA to successfully inform the NASS Committees on FERMA of their advancements and difficulties.
During his presentation of the 2023/ 2024 Budget Performance and Defence, the Managing Director/CEO of FERMA, Engr. (Dr.) Chukwuemeka Agbasi, FNSE, FNIHTE, stated that the roads chosen for the 2024 capital budget proposal were chosen based on an equitable distribution in accordance with the Six (6) Geopolitical Zones of the nation.
In order to support the president’s priority areas of national development and economic recovery, he continued, “priorities were given to major trunk A roads within the Zones; roads that would massively improve movement of persons, goods, services, and agricultural produce to boost food security and economic wellbeing of the citizen.”
In order to guarantee 100% implementation, he said, the 2024 budget contained the rollover of certain projects whose completion dates extended beyond the fiscal year 2023.
A total of N77,390,766,140 (Seventy-Seven Billion, Three Hundred and Ninety Million, Seven Hundred and Sixty-Six Thousand, One Hundred and Forty Naira) proposal was presented by the Managing Director/CEO to the Joint Committees of the Senate and the House.
The breakdown includes; total personnel – N4,081,099,533 (Four Billion, Eighty-One Million, Ninety-Nine Thousand, Five Hundred and Thirty-Three Naira); total overhead – N22,027,209,696 (Twenty-two Billion, Twenty-Seven Million, Two Hundred and Nine Thousand, Six Hundred and Ninety-Six Naira); total recurrent – N26,108,309,229 (Twenty-six Billion, One Hundred and Eight Million, Three Hundred and Nine Thousand, Two Hundred and Twenty-Nine Naira, while *total* *Capital* which is meant for the maintenance of all the over *36,000km* of federal Roads is – *N51,282,456,911* (Fifty-One Billion, Two Hundred and Eighty-Two Million, Four Hundred and Fifty-Six Thousand, Nine Hundred and Eleven Naira Only.
In his remarks at the presentation, the Honourable Minister of Works, Engr. David Umahi, stated that FERMA was making every effort, but the appropriation was insufficient. In addition to saying that an emergency money should be set aside for quick action on road repairs, he noted that an upward assessment of the budget was imperative.
To ensure justice and equity, the Minister requested a review of the Ministry’s budget.
In order to improve road construction and maintenance and extend the lifespan of the nation’s highways, he reaffirmed that all road designs will be examined.
As other Joint Committee members spoke, they unanimously agreed that FERMA needs better and more money, and that the roads are in bad condition. Additionally, they request that alternate financing options for FERMA be investigated.
In order for FERM to be able to do its job well moving ahead, the Senate and House Committees promised their support and collaboration.
