The Federal Road Maintenance Agency (FERMA) has commenced routine maintenance of the Abakaliki–Enugu–Cross River border highway in Ebonyi State under its Routine and Preventive Maintenance Work Programme (RPMWP), aimed at improving road safety, preserving critical federal road infrastructure and enhancing the movement of people and goods.
The maintenance exercise, which began on Wednesday, includes vegetation control, desilting of drainage channels and culverts, and the patching of potholes along the strategic federal highway.
Speaking during the commencement of the exercise, the Federal Road Maintenance Engineer in charge of FERMA's Ebonyi Field Office, Mr. Akinyemi Ojo, said the programme aligns with the Federal Government's Renewed Hope Agenda of ensuring safer highways, boosting food security and facilitating economic activities across the country.
According to Ojo, the intervention is designed to preserve the structural integrity of federal roads while ensuring they remain safe and motorable for motorists.
"This routine maintenance is a maintenance-based initiative to attend to federal roads through continuous assessment, with the primary aim of preserving the roads from deterioration and equally enhancing overall safety and motorability," he said.
He explained that the agency's core objectives include preserving the lifespan of federal road assets and maintaining critical road corridors in safe and motorable condition through regular maintenance activities.
"The three major activities we are carrying out include vegetation control, desilting of hydraulic structures such as culverts and drains, and patching of potholes. These are routine maintenance activities intended to preserve roads that are already motorable and prevent further deterioration," Ojo stated.
He noted that clearing overgrown vegetation would improve visibility for motorists and help reduce security risks along the highway.
"After clearing the grasses, motorists can see clearly, while hoodlums will no longer have places to hide to attack road users. This is one of the primary objectives of the programme," he added.
Ojo further disclosed that the programme would create direct employment opportunities for residents of host communities while empowering households through community participation in the maintenance works.
He also said the intervention would help mitigate flooding through sustainable drainage systems and regular desilting of blocked waterways along the road corridor.
Residents of Onuebonyi and Igbeagu communities, where portions of the maintenance work are ongoing, welcomed the intervention but lamented the poor condition of sections of the highway, which they said had claimed many lives.
One of the residents, Mr. Sylvester Odom, alleged that more than 30 people had lost their lives in accidents along the Onuebonyi axis of the road within the last two years.
"We have lost many lives on this section of the border road because of the numerous potholes. Motorists, especially those unfamiliar with the road, often get involved in accidents," Odom said.
He described the highway as a major transport corridor linking Nigeria's northern region with the southern states and serving as an important route for regional trade within West and Central Africa.
"We are happy that the Federal Government has started work on the road. This intervention is timely, and we hope it will reduce accidents and make the road safer for everyone," he added.
The Abakaliki–Enugu–Cross River border highway is one of the strategic federal road corridors serving commuters, commercial transport operators and interstate travelers in the South-East.
