The Federal Roads Maintenance Agency, FERMA, is the Federal Government of Nigeria’s agency concerned with road construction, improvement and connectivity between the States of Nigeria. The agency is a subsidiary of the Federal Ministry of Works and Housing.
FERMA, which was established by an Act of the National Assembly in 2002: Federal Road Maintenance Agency Establishment Act 2002, and Federal Road Maintenance Agency Amendment Act 2007, commenced her operations in 2003. FERMA has two operational Departments (East and West). Each of them is headed by an Executive Director.
Federal Roads Maintenance Agency (Establishment, etc) Act No.7 of 2002 enacted by the National Assembly and assented to by President Olusegun Obasanjo. With this Act establishing the Federal Roads Maintenance Agency and for matters connected therewith, FERMA became Nigeria’s first institutional mechanism for monitoring and maintaining, all Federal roads in the country.
The first 14-member Governing Board of FERMA, chaired by Engineer Guy Otobo, was inaugurated by the then Minister of Works and Housing, Chief Tony Anenih.
The Operations Department is charged with the responsibility of managing road maintenance activities in the various zones of the country
Departments
In line with the Agency’s vision of becoming the most efficient road maintenance management organization that will enhance the economic well- being of Nigerians and promote their interests locally and internationally, the Agency has activities conducted along the lines of its departments thus:
West Operations Department; East Operations Department
Road Maintenance Management Services Department
Planning & Engineering Services Department
Admin & Human Resource Development Department
Board Secretariat/Legal Services Department
Finance & Accounts Department
The following units are directly under the office of the Managing Director:
Protocol/Public Relations unit; Procurement & Supplies unit
Monitoring & Special Duties unit; Internal Audit unit
Stock verification unit; Direct labour unit
Servicom & Anti-Corruption unit;
Preventive maintenance Surveillance unit
Mission Statement
“To efficiently and effectively monitor and administer road maintenance with the objective of keeping all federal roads in good and safe conditions”
Vision Statement
“To become the most efficient road maintenance management organization that will enhance the economic well-being and interest of Nigerians”
The Direct Labour Unit
Direct labour work is the task undertaken with the Agency’s own work force. This occurs when a road repair or maintenance project is executed by the agency’s field office using its own labour, material, and equipment. The essence of carrying out direct labour maintenance operations on our roads is to rapidly deploy men and materials to effectively curtail or tackle any road emergency that may lead to none or unsafe usage of the road. In addition, paucity of fund may hinder the immediate procurement of road maintenance contracts and as such direct labour activities with limited funds ensure continuous maintenance and repairs of the road.
Preventive Roads Maintenance Operations
The present administration, has instituted the preventive road maintenance program, which is the periodic application of relatively inexpensive pavement treatments to an existing roadway system in order to retard further deterioration, prevent massive failures and make the roads safe and motor-able all year round. Under the program, roads in good conditions are kept that way by deploying men and materials to continuously carry out targeted routine maintenance works on them..
