On the 13th of October 2023 when Mr. Ajuri Ngelale the Special Adviser to the president who has now just resigned, made the announcement of the appointment of Engr. Agbasi Chukwuemeka as the Managing Director of federal road maintenance agency (FERMA) and Engr. Ibrahim Kashim Imam as the Chairman of the board of the agency. It was a cheering news to some of us.
While the appointment was worth celebrating by the South easterners, it was instructive for us to remind ourselves once more that Engr. Agbasi had been appointed to drive President Bola Ahmed Tinubu’s vision with respect to improved infrastructure quality for all Nigerian roads through the instrument of FERMA.
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A quick glance through the academic qualifications of Engr. Agbasi Chukwuemeka who hails from Uruagu Nnewi in Anambra State whose late elder brother was a medical doctor before his death, would tell you most succinctly that if we are to go by the merits of his academic qualifications and achievements, he can be said to be the prime person for the job.
For a former University of Nigeria Nsukka don who has crisscrossed the world impacting knowledge and playing strategic roles on global scenes, achieving mind-blowing milestones with FERMA is the least we expect of him.
Before becoming the managing director of FERMA, it is worthy to note that this Anambra born engineer was in charge of FERMA’s public private – partnerships, multilateral and special duties department for a while.
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This means that this skilled and internationally exposed Engineer haven risen through the ranks, has all that it takes to lead this organization at this time if he is so disposed, being the first MD of the agency of Igbo extraction.
Some months ago, on my way to Ogbor hill in Aba Abia state, I noticed some strategic high level repair work being carried out on the Bata – Opobo junction portion of the Aba – Ikot Ekpene expressway by FERMA.
The quality of work done on that road was so impressive that I had to do a shout out to the Minister of works, FERMA and my state governor on its completion.
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The reality that stares us in the face with what this same FERMA Managed and Directed by Engr. Chukwuemeka Agbasi is doing in Nnewi, Anambra State with respect to the type of low-quality job that is being executed by this same agency makes you wonder if they have a different mandate to implement in Anambra State from what they have in other states.
This publication is being made with the consciousness that FERMA is scheduled to serve all the states of the federation equally without showing any form of preference to any state in particular just as the president has been “deliberate to avoid favoring Lagos state” in any way as the President.
However, we know that it is totally unacceptable for a man who hails from Nnewi to cite substandard projects in his community or anywhere in Nigeria.
The Managing Director may not be well informed with what his staff and contractors are doing in Nnewi, but we would want him to know expressly that the joke being carried out in Nnewi in the guise of road maintenance and reconstruction is some areas is embarrassing, very low quality and should be reviewed immediately for the sake of posterity.
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Engr. Chukwuemeka Agbasi with all his scholarly exposures cannot be seen to be a party to under developing his community by citing projects with poor quality to be done without supervision in the state or any other part of Nigeria.
Conclusively, Prof. Charles Chukwuma Soludo must be deliberate to engage with FERMA on the projects they are doing in the state so as to get the best deals for ndi Anambra. It is heart wrenching that portions of roads especially along the Nnewi – Oba axis that were maintained by FERMA some months ago probably not upto a year now, have all failed and collapsed hopelessly.
FERMA must do better for the people of Anambra State but precisely Nnewi. Dr. Kenneth Ugbala must stand up to protect the interest of the southeast in this project that is being shabbily done.
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