The Federal Road Maintenance Agency (FERMA) in Kano expressed concern about the allocation of lucrative contracts to unqualified contractors.
Ali Abdu, the Acting Federal Road Maintenance Engineer in the State, conveyed this dismay during a session with the House Committee on FERMA.
Abdu briefed the lawmakers on the agency’s 2023 contract projects, highlighting the issue of incompetent contractors receiving contracts worth millions despite lacking essential equipment.
He also noted the challenges faced by the agency, including a shortage of operational vehicles for supervision.
Abdu provided statistics on the condition of federal roads in Kano, revealing that out of 990 kilometers, only 423 were in good condition.
Additionally, he reported on the progress of contracted projects, indicating completion rates and contractor engagement status.
The Chairman of the House Committee, Engr. Aderemi Abasi Oseni, along with other committee members, engaged with Zonal Directors and Federal Road Maintenance Engineers from the North West Zone I and II, emphasizing their commitment to supporting the agency’s mandate.
“We are here to see how you are faring. The quality of your presentation and what we saw here physically on site I think there is that opportunity for us to appreciate the quality of Staff that we have in FERMA.
“You have demonstrated competence and have sufficiently proven that we can have hope on you when we come to quality road delivery and where you equally need to be assisted, we have seen that from what you expressed and within the limit and grace of privilege that I have as the Chairman of this agency, we will do our best to compliment what you are doing.”
