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The Bayelsa State Government says it is ready to collaborate with the Federal Roads Maintenance Agency (FERMA) on the rehabilitation and maintenance of failing roads in the state.
The deputy governor, Senator Lawrence Ewhrudjakpo, made this known while speaking with a delegation from the Bayelsa Field Office of FERMA during a courtesy visit in Government House, Yenagoa, on Thursday.
The deputy governor, who pointed out that the total distance covered by federal roads in Bayelsa was less than 100 kilometres, maintained that effective collaboration with the federal agency will ensure proper utilization of road maintenance funds meant for the state.
He stressed that since there was paucity of federal roads in Bayelsa, it was needful and expedient for FERMA to appropriately utilize such intervention funds to maintain major roads in the state like the Igbogene-Polaku Road, the Opokuma Road, amongst others.
Senator Ewhrudjakpo expressed disappointment that the Agency failed to show concern and partnership with the state government to rehabilitate strategic roads, such as the Yenagoa-Amassoma and Opokuma Junction -Sabagreia roads that were badly devastated by the 2022 flood.
While thanking the delegation for the visit and their words of commendation, Ewhrudjakpo said the state government was desirous of receiving the Director General of FERMA in no distant time to work out modalities for the needed collaboration.
His words: “Bayelsa has the least mileage or length of federal roads in the country. What we have here is about 80 to 100 kilometres of federal roads. All the other roads are owned by the state.
“We had expected the federal government to show concern through FERMA by intervening in the rehabilitation of our state roads devastated in the recent floods. But that did not happen. The state government alone fix all the affected roads.
“I believe that was not fair because what is due us as a state should be given to us. FERMA’s mandate is limited in Bayelsa because of the few federal roads we have here.
“Going forward, the Bayelsa State Ministry of Works and Infrastructure has to work in close collaboration with FERMA to ensure that interventions are carried out on failing roads in the state.”
Earlier, head of Bayelsa Field Office, FERMA, Engineer George Offor, said the visit was intended to seek collaboration with the Bayelsa State Government to see how roads could be made safe through timely maintenance.
Engineer Offor, who disclosed that Director General of the FERMA was planning to visit Bayelsa, solicited the the state government’s support in terms of providing adequate security for the Agency’s equipment and personnel on road maintenance work in the state.
