Does Ferma exist?

It is a recurring debate amongst residents of Mararaba/Masaka and Keffi towns axis on the existence of FERMA or otherwise. However, the collective response of these referenced climes is that FERMA does not exist in reality. Readers will be surprisingly taken aback by this terse conclusion that a federal parastatal which still earns allocation from […]

It is a recurring debate amongst residents of Mararaba/Masaka and Keffi towns axis on the existence of FERMA or otherwise. However, the collective response of these referenced climes is that FERMA does not exist in reality. Readers will be surprisingly taken aback by this terse conclusion that a federal parastatal which still earns allocation from the federation, maintains a sizeable but over-bloated number of permanent and casual staff in its nominal roll is tagged as a “non-existence.”
A keen commuter of Abuja/Keffi highway will unarguably concur with me that FERMA, a hitherto federal parastatal can best be described and categorized as a “grade ‘A’ in the category of failure and non-efficiency while sustaining their tempo of sipping available resources of the organization without corresponding result in spite of being funded annually and at the expense of humanity.  A cursory look of continued deterioration of Aso-Pada Junction in Mararaba area of Nasarawa state, or precisely along the busy Keffi/Abuja highway justify the waste and inefficiency of FERMA in the management and maintenance of federal highways across the length and breadth of the country.
This eye-sore of road dilapidation at the above spot (Aso-Pada) has further deepen and justified the calls by a cross section of patriots that FERMA be scrapped as economically non-viable establishment having failed woefully to earn public trust and confidence culminating in a number of death.  FERMA must account and hold responsible for numerous avoidable and untimely death of Nigerians plying its supposed-to-maintain federal highways!  However, the reverse is the case.
One wonders the fate and conditions of other federal highways if the deliberately neglected Aso-Pada junction pothole which started like a mere children play – but deteriorated rapidly to a state of dilapidation and immotorability (without any attention) from the authorities concern resulting in the consumption of 2 out of the 3 lanes on the federal road. Consequently, FERMA’s ineptitude continued to cause unnecessary traffic and snarl movement of vehicles. No wonder their paddies, the FRSC personnel have found solace in their action or inaction hence relocated to that spot in order to optimize from FERMA’s inefficiency at the expense of the larger society.  Aso-Pada junction which is less than 11 kilometers from Nigeria’s presidential villa suffers such an unwholesome treatment; what of roads around Abakaliki, Sokoto, Ondo or Katsina?
The neglected initial pothole at Aso-Pada junction which started as a result of blocked water-ways would not have cost Nigeria’s tax payers N200,000 but for the inefficiency of FERMA; and in line with their antics and tradition of wasting public funds synonymous with the organization one would not be surprised if they (FERMA’s Management) jerk up the cost of repairs to N200m for this avoidable damage caused by poor supervision and lack of maintenance culture. One will not be surprised if FERMA continues to leverage largely on their known bureaucracy of public funds wastage to engage their crony-contractors including in-house staff to conduct evaluation of the damaged road portion, commission a crème of supervisors to inspect and review submitted report, advertise (if possible) for tenders for the repairs all in an effort to justify their holier-than-thou posture!
It is a continued question of bewilderment amongst the residents of Mararaba, One-Man Village, Masaka and Keffi towns whether any staff of FERMA resides around this axis? 
In the spirit of change mantra, one patriotically calls on the Honourable Minister of Power, Works and Housing to rejig the management of FERMA whose operations leaves much to be desired.
Sulaiman Muhammad Ayagi, Abuja, [email protected]