President Bola Tinubu has given the Federal Road Maintenance Agency (FERMA) a marching order to ensure that all of the nation’s roads are maintained, according to Dr. Kenneth Ugbala, the board member for the South East zone.
Dr. Ugbala maintained that under President Bola Tinubu, South East roads have been receiving adequate attention, rejecting claims that they are not getting the same level of attention as those in the Northern area.
Speaking to reporters at his hometown of Okoffia, in the Ezza South local government area of Ebonyi State, he made this claim.
“We have a marching order from the president to ensure that every road in the country is being maintained. It is our belief that that obligation should be handled aggressively.
“If you look from Abakaliki to Enugu, you can see that FEMA is performing maintenance. It is untrue and nasty to imply that the federal government was neglecting the South East zone when building roads.
He mentioned that the 9th mile/Gboko/Makurdi road and several other roads in the area that benefited from the Tinubu administration’s coastal road projects were part of the Enugu-Onitsha route that was currently being built.
According to Ugbala, the president included numerous roads in the area in this year’s budget.
“There is food, and the country is like a basket. Everyone is rushing to get more. However, I am aware that the Southeast routes are getting good care, even if that had been the case before we joined. The ring road, which runs along the coast, is also helping us.
“We have never experienced these things. Construction is underway from Enugu to Onitsha. Construction is underway to connect Gboko and Makurdi to the ninth mile.
Therefore, I don’t believe that the current administration is abandoning Southeast if we are ever forgotten. We only need to be patient with our president and, of course, the Works Minister. This government is going to give it its best shot. We urge our people to keep supporting us because of this,” he said.
In order to guarantee longevity, Ugbala, a former Secretary to the Ebonyi State Government (SSG), promoted a maintenance culture on road projects.
“As a country, we know that we must take our maintenance culture extremely seriously. Because maintaining roads is just as important as building them. When highways are constructed and neglected, we discover that all we own is being lost.
“From Abakaliki to Afikpo, you may observe maintenance under progress. We are currently working on it. There are eight locations that require immediate attention. In actuality, all of the Southeast states are getting attention if you pass Abia to Enugu State and portions of Anambra.
“We aim to enhance our current efforts this year. The budget has made room for numerous roadways.
Even though we may not have enough resources to meet our requests, we are serious about ensuring openness. We give our work worth for the money. Dealing with the contractors is not simple.
