Rep charges FERMA to fix federal roads in Delta

The member representing Ughelli North, Ughelli South and Udu Federal Constituency in the House of Representatives, Rep. Francis Waive has called on Federal Road Maintenance Agency (FERMA) to fix all federal roads in Delta state as their deplorable state is making them impassable.

Rep. Waive, who is the deputy chairman of the House Committee on Power, particularly lamented the failed portion of the Adeje section of the Warri/Effurun-Benin Highway in Okpe council area of Delta state.

In a press statement at the weekend signed by the lawmaker, he stated that the Adeje axis in the Sapele-Effurun section of the road is in a critical state considering the fact that it is the road linking the south-south region to other parts of the country.

While charging FERMA authorities to declare a state of emergency on major federal roads for repair and maintenance, the House member expressed concern over agonizing moments motorists and commuters plying these roads go through daily, which has resulted in too many avoidable deaths.

He posited that Ughelli-Asaba, Warri-Benin, Warri-Agbor expressways and Sapele-Eku Road have dilapidated due largely to lack of consistent maintenance over the years considering the volume of traffic on the roads.

“Majority of the federal roads within and leading to Delta state are in a deplorable state and there have not been major maintenance on most of these roads and the continual usage of the roads by travellers and the carriage of goods and services has dilapidated the roads,” he asserted.

He explained that the state being an oil producing state and because of its resources that attract investors needs an uninterrupted and easy access to facilitate the transportation of crude oil, and should have a motorable road network to avoid massive explosion that can lead to loss of lives and properties.

“With the current situation of the roads, the continual patching of pot-holes cannot help the condition of the roads as they have depreciated far above patching

“With the deplorable state of these roads, my constituents have suffered a lot of untold hardship as mobility has become a nightmare and the condition of these roads has brought economic activities to a standstill,” the lawmaker added.