Minister Applauds FERMA Staff for Determination and Resilience  The Minister of State for Works, Muhammad Bello Goronyo, Esq has complimented the determination and resilience of the management and staff of the Federal Roads Maintenance Agency (FERMA) in the discharge of their responsibilities. He stated this on Tuesday, 18th February, 2025, while addressing staff of the Agency in Lafia, headquarters of the North Central Zone, during a one-day familiarisation visit and inspection of ongoing works on the Keffi-Gitata-Shendam/Plateau State Border road in Nasarawa State. Goronyo acknowledged the resourcefulness of the FERMA’s personnel in fixing Nigeria's roads despite the inadequacy of annual budgetary allocations. He disclosed that pressures are being mounted on the Agency now, more than ever, from various quarters to maintain the roads despite the mergre resources. Goronyo cited as an example the Lokoja - Abuja Dual Carriageway,  sections of which are in bad shape, prolonging travel time from 1 hour 30 minutes to 4 hours. In contrast, the Minister revealed that his journey from Abuja to Lafia was smooth, as well as joyful due to the good road. He said "This is hope being renewed and everybody must be on their toes. The President is determined to move the nation forward and we must support him to actualise his vision and mission." The Minister, who emphasised the determination of the Ministry of Works to resolve all the challenges being faced by the staff, stressed that they should ensure they sensitize the public against packing and abandoning vehicles, especially trucks on the roads. He also called on the Federal Road Safety Corps (FRSC) to support the Ministry’s efforts by safeguarding Federal roads across the country.  He informed them that the Managing Director/CEO is addressing issues related to their welfare, while urging them to reciprocate the gesture by ensuring that the Agency continues to deliver on its mandate. The Minister added that the stakeholders across the country have been commending the Agency for their dedication and patriotism in maintaining Nigerian roads despite challenges of funding and security in some parts of the country. He noted that the Government alone cannot maintain all the roads due to the high level of deterioration, calling for a collective effort to ensure safer and motorable highways. Goronyo urged the road users, as well as benefiting communities to protect the infrastructure by not digging holes or creating demarcations. He added that President Bola Ahmed Tinubu, GCFR is ready and determined to ensure that all Nigerian roads are in good conditions for improved economy and assets. The Minister also reiterated the Federal Government's resolve to enhance road maintenance and urged all stakeholders to support the administration's initiatives aimed at achieving safe and durable roads, nationwide. Earlier in his remarks, the Managing Director/CEO, FERMA, Engr. Chukwuemeka Agbasiuu, Ph.d expressed his satisfaction with the progress of the rehabilitation projects in Nasarawa State. He reaffirmed the Agency's commitment to delivering high-quality roads and enhancing travel experience, in line with President Tinubu's Renewed Hope Agenda. Engr. Agbasi also guaranteed field workers training and retraining to equip them with 21st-century construction trends. He added that despite issues of insecurity in the North Central zone, they should not relent in their collective efforts to maintain Nigerian roads. He stated that FERMA is doing its best despite inadequate funding, stressing that it will soon take delivery of brand-new equipment, while the grounded ones would be repaired and put into use. Also, in his opening remarks, the Zonal Head of North Central II, covering Benue, Plateau, Taraba and Nasarawa States, Engr Halilu Umama highlighted the strategic importance of the region as a vital link between Northern and Southern Nigeria. He noted that many projects in the zone are being executed through direct labour between 2022 to 2024 and he outlined major challenges including the high costs of construction materials, equipment rental, low budgetary allocations, and road abuses such as the erection of illegal speed breakers and encroachments on Federal highways. In his Closing Remarks, the Federal Roads Maintenance Engineer for Nasarawa State, Engr. Aliu Muhammad voiced gratitude for the progress made in the past seven (7) months. He commended the leadership of the Ministry and that of FERMA for their commitment to improving road infrastructure and ensuring better conditions for field workers. ...

Over 35,000 Kilometres of Federal Roads Need Alternative Funding - Goronyo The Minister of State for Works, Muhammad Bello Goronyo, Esq has noted that over 35,000 kilometres of the Federal Government road network across Nigeria could not be funded through Annual Budgets alone, hence the need to source for alternative funding outside the government’s coffers. Goronyo stated this on Monday, 17th February, 2025, while addressing the Management and Staff of the Federal Roads Maintenance Agency (FERMA), Kogi State Field Office at Lokoja during a maiden visit alongside the MD/CEO, Engr Chukwumeka Agbasi. He reaffirmed that President Bola Ahmed Tinubu’s administration is determined to fix all the roads to ensure a drastic reduction in the level of unemployment, rate of crimes, and insecurity. According to him, " Let me commend President Tinubu, GCFR for his determination. I have never seen a President so committed to sustaining physical assets nationwide. The administration gives priority to various road projects scattered across the country. This shows that he is a patriotic Nigerian. He is undertaking these projects so that our economy can be improved, and the rate of unemployment, poverty, and crimes will be reduced. We are seeing the Super Highways from Ilelah to Sokoto to Badagry and another from Lagos to Calabar." Goronyo, who commended the staff of FERMA for their resilience and hard work over the years, noted that despite insecurity, and inadequate funding, Nigerians have been commending them for their excellent work. He urged them to bear with the Ministry of Works over their entitlements, disclosing that their requests for adjustment and increment in consequential salaries have been forwarded to the Salaries, Income, and Wages Commission for consideration and approval. Speaking further on funding for the maintenance of roads, Goronyo stressed that "about 35,000 kilometres of roads cannot be funded and maintained overnight. We have to look for alternative sources of funding so that we can continue to maintain our physical assets, which are the roads.  We have to create new ways of funding and new alternatives. He assured that the Government is focused on ensuring that projects are completed in a timely and efficient manner with robust oversight and contractors’ compliance.  He also added "I am calling on all of you to support us to ensure that President Bola Ahmed Tinubu succeeds in his mandate to deliver on the 8-point Renewed Hope Agenda. We must put Nigeria first before our interests. Let us fix our roads, we must think positively." Earlier, the Managing Director and Chief Executive Officer (MD/CEO) of FERMA, Engineer Chukwumeka Agbasi commended the Ministry of Works for its determination to ensure that the 8-point agenda of President Tinubu are realised, especially road projects across the country.  He informed the Staff that before the end of the year, there would be an increment in their salaries and appealed to them to continue to support and partner with the Ministry to achieve their targeted goals. In his remarks, Engineer Muktar Abdurahim, the Officer in charge of the Kogi Field Office, informed the Minister that the office has thirty-seven (37) staff with 25 permanent and twelve (12) casual workers. He disclosed that Kogi State has sixteen (16) Federal Government roads with a total of 1,263 kilometres, emphasising that the 2024 nationwide flood incident did not affect any of the roads in the state.    Engr. Abdulrahim revealed that out of six (6) roads under construction in the state, five (5) have been successfully executed, while one (1) is at 60% completion. He informed the  Minister that they are facing challenges such as insecurity, and hyperinflation on the cost of construction materials, amongst others. Furthermore, the Director, North Central Zone I, Engr Omotayo Awodun commended the Federal Government’s commitment to fixing all the Federal roads across Nigeria, especially those in his zone, he also applauded the leadership style of the Honourable Minister of Works for his innovation, where new techniques and stricter supervision are being enforced, like what we are witnessing, today. ...

INFOQUEST NIG LTD WAS NEVER AWARDED ANY CONTRACT ON ABUJA- KADUNA ROAD AS FALSELY AND MALICIOUSLY REPORTED IN A PUBLICATION OF DAILY TRUST NEWSPAPERS OF 21/01/2025. -DAILY TRUST TO RENDER UNRESERVED APOLOGY TO FEDERAL MINISTRY OF WORKS FOR UNJUSTIFIABLE FALSEHOOD   The Honourable Minister of Works, His Excellency, Sen. Nweze David Umahi CON has rebutted in strong terms  the unwarranted, false,  misleading, and damaging report published in Daily Trust  Newspapers of  21st January 2025, which falsely represented the Federal Ministry of Works as having awarded a section of Abuja-Kaduna-Kano road dualization to Infoquest Nigeria Ltd. In a press conference held on 21st January 2025 at the Conference Hall of the Honourable Minister of Works and attended  by the Honourable Minister of State for Works, Rt. Hon. Barr. Mohammed Bello Goronyo, the Permanent Secretary, Federal Ministry of Works, Engr. Folunso  O. Adebiyi and  key directors of the Ministry, the Honourable Minister, described as mischievous, insensitively misleading and injurious the statement credited to him in the said publication, where he was wrongly quoted to have said that  Infoquest Nigeria Ltd secured a "No objection" of N252.89 billion from the Bureau of Public Procurement ( BPP) for the rehabilitation of a section Abuja- Kaduna- Zaria-Kano road and where they described  the Ministry as having awarded  the said contract to an obscure company.   He made it clear that the Ministry had no business relationship with Infoquest Nigeria Ltd. He further made it known that the company that has a contractual relationship  with the Ministry on the said project is Infiouest International Limited and that the company  is corporately active and is absolutely in compliance with all legal requirements and regulations set by the Companies and Allied Matters Act. He berated the mischief  created  by the publication as a deliberate orchestration by a cartel to malign the Ministry, undermine  the efforts of the Renewed Hope administration in revolutionizing  road infrastructure  development and demarket the company that has proven capacity in road construction. He demanded from Daily Trust Newspapers a public apology to the Federal Ministry of Works to be published in at least 5 national dailies for unjustifiably publishing falsehood against the Ministry of Works.   The Honourable Minister also alluded  to the mischiefs and deliberate misrepresentation of facts contained in the sponsored publications made in several  national dailies by Julius Berger Plc recently on the reason why they reneged in their contractual obligations in respect  of the section of  Abuja-Kaduna-Zaria-Kano road they were handling before  it was determined.   He  wondered why the coordinated onslaught of falsehood, blackmail, gangup by adversaries to the policy of government just because of the Ministry's insistence on a new order of  value for money, quality assurance and best practices  in project pricing and execution. He urged the public and the press to join in this desirable fight against national sabotage by some contractors.   In his remarks, the Honourable Minister of State for Works said he was delighted  by  the proactiveness and resoluteness  shown by the Ministry in decapitating  the intentions of those who made the false publication against  the Ministry which according to him was intended to distract  the Ministry and undermine its confidence before Nigerians. He called  on the media operators not to allow themselves  to be used by the fifth columnists to publish unfounded reports to undermine  the Renewed Hope agenda but should always crosscheck  their information  with the appropriate authority so as to let out only the truth to the public.   In his vote of thanks, the Permanent Secretary described  the press briefing as thoughtful and timely. He  harped  on the importance of development journalism and urged the media to always uphold  the truth in their professional duties of information dissemination rather than allow themselves to be used as a tool in the hands of enemies of our national development. ...