2017 budget defence: How FERMA sets security trap for Reps during oversight function

Members of House of Representatives Committee on oversight of the activities of Federal Roads Management Agency (FERMA) were taken aback on Wednesday, when they discovered the security trap set for them by FERMA management team.

The lawmakers during an interactive session with the management team of FERMA unravelled the identity of operatives of Department of State Security who also attended the closed session meeting initiated by the committee.

The bubble burst during a closed-door session initiated by members of the committee after the presentation of 2016 budget performance by Peter Ibu, the acting FERMA managing director.

Rattled by the development, the lawmakers, who insisted on briefing selected newsmen invited by the committee to FERMA headquarters in Abuja, advised the acting FERMA managing director to “resign for suspicious activities and incompetence.”

The lawmakers also queried the agency allegations bothering on sale of contracts and award of multi-million naira contracts without the approval of Bureau of Public Enterprises (BPE).

Similarly, the committee expressed displeasure over the non-utilisation of the sum of N10.3 billion released in October 2016 to the agency out of the N21,816,546,653 appropriated in the 2016 Appropriation Act.

Director-general of Budget Office, via a warrant No. W01/00006938 for the execution of capital projects compelled FERMA to remit to the treasury the sum of N8 billion out of N10.3 billion already released so far.

They also accused the FERMA acting managing director for failing to sanction the defaulting contractor despite the intervention of the committee on slow pace of contract.

The lawmakers also questioned the failure of the agency to ensure maximum utilisation of the 80TPH Asphalt Plant at Kuje area of Abuja, which was leased for five years at the sum of N193,341,887.29 out of which the sum of N9,665,094.36 was paid as commitment fees since November 15, 2011.

The plant, according to the document presented to the committee, was handed over to Emphaty Engineering Company (lessee) on April 16, 2013, while N67,671,660.54 due for payment to the agency.

Breakdown of the budget performance released by the agency showed that the contractor: ZAZ Construction Limited, assigned to embark on maintenance work along Abuja-Kaduna for a contract worth N104,468,999.48 is yet to commence work after report at the site.

The agency however noted that two ‘direct labour’ contracts for the general repair of Abuja-Kaduna road at the sum of N14,484,400 and general repairs of Abuja-Keffi road at the sum of N23,929,230 have fully completed the projects.

Some of the challenges listed by the agency include: construction of houses along drain lines causing flooding and refuse dumps along the highways causing blockage of culverts.