House of Assembly urges FG to investigate FERMA

dimeji akinloye

September 15, 2015 8:02 PM

The call followed a motion moved by Mr Sanai Agunbiade, an APC lawmaker, representing Ikorodu 1 in the house.

The Lagos State House of Assembly on Tuesday told the Federal Government to investigate the funding of the Federal Road Maintenance Agency (FERMA), regarding the rehabilitation of federal roads in Lagos State since 2007.

The call followed a motion moved by Mr Sanai Agunbiade, an APC lawmaker, representing Ikorodu 1 in the house.

Agunbiade, who is also the Majority Leader of the house, argued that the Lagos State Public Works Corporation carried out rehabilitation on 17 federal roads in the state.

Agunbiade pointed out that FERMA had been receiving annual budgetary allocation to maintain federal roads in the state but that the State Government had been shouldering the responsibility.

"Lagos State Public Works Corporation attempted to rehabilitate two federal roads on Ahmadu Bello Way and Mile 2 inter-change, the corporation was prevented from embarking on the rehabilitation by FERMA on the grounds that the roads are under its purview.

"There is, therefore, an urgent need for investigation into the activities and funding of FERMA in Lagos State in the last eight years," he said.

He urged Gov. Akinwunmi Ambode to demand refund of the money expended on roads repaired by the state from the Federal Government.

The majority leader also requested the Lagos State caucus at the National Assembly to commence mobilisation at the upper and lower chambers for the request of Lagos State to be granted the "special status’’ it deserved.

Also speaking, Mr Rotimi Olowo, representing Somolu 1, claimed that the state had been spending its scarce resource on federal projects.

Olowo, who said that the state did not have enough resources to continue the trend, stressed the need for refund of money to the state.

Mr Tunde Braimoh, representing Kosofe 2, urged the appropriate committee in the House of Representatives to take up the investigation of FERMA.

The Speaker of the Assembly, Mr Mudashiru Obasa, passed the resolution after a voice vote and adjourned the sitting to Sept. 21.

dimeji akinloye