Senate Pushes Bigger FERMA Budget, Orders Emergency Rescue of Failed Federal Roads

• Approves N15.06bn intervention on Benue road, warns Works Ministry to prioritise rehabilitation over new projects

Sunday Aborisade in Abuja

The Senate on Thursday mounted fresh pressure on the federal government to significantly increase funding for the Federal Roads Maintenance Agency (FERMA), insisting that deteriorating federal highways across the country require urgent rehabilitation rather than continued emphasis on new road construction.

The resolution came as the upper chamber approved emergency intervention on the badly damaged 28-kilometre Oyagede–Ogobia Road in Benue State and urged the federal government to rehabilitate at least two critical federal roads in each of the 36 states and the Federal Capital Territory.

The decision followed the adoption of the report of the Senate Joint Committee on FERMA and National Security on the condition of the Oyagede–Ogobia Road in Ohimini Local Government Area of Benue State.

Presenting the report, Chairman of the Joint Committee, Senator Shuaib Salisu Abdullahi, disclosed that only two kilometres of the road remained motorable after an on-the-job assessment by lawmakers.

He said extensive structural failure, erosion and inadequate drainage had rendered most sections of the road impassable, crippling transportation, commercial activities, access to healthcare and education, while also hampering security operations.

The committee recommended immediate emergency rehabilitation of the road pending full reconstruction at an estimated cost of N15.06 billion.

It also called for improved drainage infrastructure, erosion control measures and enhanced security along the corridor.

The Senate adopted all the committee’s recommendations and further resolved that FERMA should receive increased budgetary allocations to enable it respond more effectively to the growing number of failed federal roads nationwide.

The lawmakers also approved periodic legislative oversight of road maintenance projects to ensure accountability and timely execution.

The debate, however, shifted beyond the Benue road as senators from different parts of the country lamented the worsening state of federal highways in their constituencies and urged the federal government to accelerate ongoing rehabilitation works.

Leading the charge, Senator Adams Oshiomhole (Edo North) faulted what he described as the growing focus on constructing new highways while existing strategic roads continued to deteriorate.

He urged the Federal Ministry of Works to redirect its priorities toward restoring critical road infrastructure that serves as the nation’s economic lifelines.

“The Federal Ministry of Works must be properly guided. While many existing federal roads have deteriorated beyond acceptable standards, attention is being shifted to constructing new roads,” Oshiomhole said.

“Rehabilitation and maintenance of critical highways should take priority because they remain the major economic lifelines connecting different parts of the country.

“The Benin-Asaba, Benin-Warri and Auchi-Abuja roads are strategic national corridors that require urgent intervention.

“We must provide adequate funding for FERMA to maintain these roads, improve security and facilitate the movement of people, goods and agricultural produce across the federation.”

Lawmakers from Kogi, Lagos and Bayelsa states also canvassed urgent intervention on failed federal roads within their respective states.

However, Minority Leader Abba Moro cautioned colleagues against expanding the debate beyond the committee’s report, advising senators to sponsor separate motions on roads affecting their constituencies.

Following the adoption of the report, Senate President Godswill Akpabio directed that copies be transmitted to the relevant ministries, FERMA and the appropriation committees for implementation and budgetary consideration.

The Senate also commended President Bola Tinubu for ongoing flagship infrastructure projects, including the Lagos-Calabar Coastal Highway and the Badagry-Sokoto Highway, describing them as transformative national projects capable of boosting economic integration.

Earlier during plenary, the Senate observed a minute’s silence in honour of two farmers killed in Plateau State after Senator Diket Plang (Plateau Central) raised the matter under a personal explanation.

Plang told lawmakers that the victims were attacked in Pankshin Local Government Area while attempting to protect their farmlands from destruction by grazing cattle.

He described the killings as coordinated and barbaric but commended the Plateau State Police Command for arresting a suspect and impounding the cattle involved, while also praising community leaders for preventing retaliatory attacks.

The Senate urged the police and judicial authorities to ensure that all those responsible for the killings are diligently prosecuted.