FERMA Begins Road Rehabilitation In Oke-Ogun, Links Rural Roads To Agricultural Growth
•By OYENIYI AWOJOODU
IBADAN. — THE Federal Road Maintenance Agency (FERMA) has commenced the rehabilitation of key roads in the Oke-Ogun area of Oyo State, stressing that improved rural road networks are crucial to boosting agricultural productivity and economic activities in grassroots communities.
Residents of the affected communities expressed excitement during an on-the-spot assessment of the ongoing projects by journalists, describing the intervention as a major relief after years of neglect.
Speaking with journalists, an engineer with the FERMA Oyo State Field Office, Engr. Olutunde Adepoju, said the agency was prioritising rural roads that serve major agricultural communities in the state.
According to him, most of the roads currently undergoing rehabilitation were constructed between 1979 and 1980 and have suffered years of inadequate maintenance.
“We want to ensure that roads in major agricultural areas of Oyo State are motorable for farmers and traders,” Adepoju said.
“Agriculture remains a major part of the state’s economy, particularly in Oke-Ogun towns such as Saki and Iseyin, which are known for producing yams and other farm products.”
Adepoju, however, noted that funding remains the major challenge confronting the agency in expanding rehabilitation projects to other parts of the state.
“Funding remains the major challenge. However, members of the National Assembly committees overseeing FERMA are already working on ways to increase the agency’s allocation,” he said.
He emphasised the importance of consistent maintenance of public infrastructure.
“Maintenance is one of the things that we are lacking in many of the things we do. We need to return to the basics by ensuring that facilities are maintained at the appropriate time,” he added.
Adepoju also noted that the administration of President Bola Tinubu is making efforts to improve road infrastructure across the country.
“The main constraint is finance, but I believe that the House of Representatives Chairman on FERMA, Hon. Remi Oseni, together with members of the Senate Committee on FERMA, are already working on ways to increase the allocation given to the agency,” he said.
Providing details of the ongoing work, Adepoju disclosed that the agency is currently carrying out sectional repairs in Kishi town, covering about 1,110 square metres, which translates to approximately 111 metres of asphalt work.
“Our focus is to make the road motorable for the community. From here, we will move to the Ago-Are axis,” he said.
He added that the Ago-Are corridor spans from Iseyin and stretches about 306 kilometres, while the portion currently being repaired by FERMA covers approximately two kilometres.
Some road users who spoke with journalists commended the Federal Government for the intervention.
A trader in Ago-Are, Atisbo Local Government Area, Mrs. Lawal Falilatu, described the rehabilitation as a thoughtful initiative of the Federal Government.
“We are grateful to the government for rehabilitating our road. The road had been terribly bad and had caused many avoidable accidents in the past, but we are happy that with this rehabilitation, such incidents will become things of the past,” she said.
Another resident, Abdulraman Maruf Abiola, also described FERMA’s intervention as a welcome development.
He noted that regular maintenance of roads in the Oke-Ogun area would help reduce road accidents, lower transportation costs, and improve economic activities.
Abiola, however, appealed to FERMA and other relevant agencies at both the federal and state levels to address other deteriorating portions of the Kishi-Igbeti road.