Business
FERMA to Ekiti Road Users: Stop Killing Roads We Just Fixed!” – FERMA Director
By Joseph Sunday
The Federal Roads Maintenance Agency (FERMA) has called out motorists and residents in Ekiti State over practices damaging newly rehabilitated federal roads, including indiscriminate parking of heavy-duty trucks, spillage of petroleum products, and vandalism of infrastructure.
The warning came from Engineer Francis Isabiyi, FERMA’s Director of West Operations, during a Monday inspection of Sukuk-funded road projects in the state. The tour is part of a nationwide assessment of federal road interventions financed through the Sukuk bond.
Two key sections were inspected: a 1.2-kilometre stretch through Ikunri Modern Market, known as Alubarika Market in Ikunri-Ekiti, Ikole LGA, and a 1.6-kilometre road linking Itawure to the Osun State boundary.
Speaking to journalists in Ikunri, Isabiyi said he was pleased with the quality of work and compliance with specifications. He noted that FERMA’s sectional repairs had transformed portions of the road that were previously deplorable.
“My sole reason for coming here is for a nationwide inspection, purely on Sukuk projects,” Isabiyi said. “Our team has done a very good job here by supervising the contractor in accordance with our specifications and standards. I am very happy with what I have seen.”
He clarified that the Sukuk intervention model targets the most critical, deteriorated sections rather than full reconstruction. “This type of work we are seeing here today is ongoing across all 36 states and the FCT,” he added.
Isabiyi described the corridor as a major trunk route with heavy traffic, connecting Abuja through Ifaki, Ikole, and Omuo to Lagos, Ilorin, and Kogi. It also serves federal institutions like Ekiti State University and cuts through several major towns.
“Before this intervention, the road was highly deplorable, as residents here can attest. Our team moved in and carried out the repairs. In this section alone, we have recovered over one kilometre,” he said.
But he didn’t hold back on the frustrations that follow repairs. Isabiyi appealed to road users to treat public infrastructure like personal property, lamenting that government spends heavily on fixes only for them to be damaged by truck parking, diesel and petrol spills, and theft of guardrails and streetlights.
“After repairs, we still see indiscriminate parking of trucks on newly fixed sections. This leads to spillage of diesel and petrol, which damages the road. Communities should discourage such practices,” he said. “We also have cases of vandalism — people removing guardrails from bridges and stealing installed streetlights. These are public assets funded by the government.”
At the Itawure axis, Zonal Director for Southwest I (Oyo, Ekiti, Osun, Kwara), Alonge Babatunde, rated the work satisfactory, noting minor observations would be addressed. He said the project, awarded earlier this year, is on track for its six-month completion and praised the contractor’s pace.
Babatunde warned motorists against overspeeding on the improved road. “Before, it was very bad, many vehicles were breaking down, and there were frequent accidents. But now that it has been repaired, it is okay,” he said. “This road will boost business in the area. Movement has improved and businesses can now operate better. The work they did, including the culverts, is commendable.”
Residents, commuters, and commercial drivers welcomed the intervention. In Ikunri, Abdullahi Wajud said the once-deplorable road is now motorable, cutting breakdowns and improving safety. Commuter Aina Yakubu called the rehabilitation commendable, while Musa Ismail praised the improvement but urged FERMA to extend repairs to adjoining bad sections, especially Ayedun.
At Itawure, driver Olumide Oje said the repairs had “significantly changed the economic outlook of the area.” Fellow driver Afolayan Idowu called it a relief after years of hardship. Trader Titilayo Ayelabowo commended the effort and called for more infrastructural development across Ekiti.