FERMA regrets withdrawal of RCC from Benin-Shagamu road

By Chris Ochayi
ABUJA — The Federal Roads Maintenance Agency, FERMA, has expressed regrets over the withdrawal of RCC Construction Company from Benin-Sagamu highway, promising to make the road motorable for travellers during this festive season.

The company withdrew from site about two weeks ago, citing kidnap of one of its expatriate staff while on duty on the expressway.
Zonal Director of FERMA in the South South zone, Mr. Kajogbola Olatunde, who spoke on the development while briefing the House of Representatives’ Committee on FERMA, said his agency was asked to mobilise to site to fill potholes on the highway in the interest of those travelling through it for the Christmas and New Year celebrations.

“RCC wrote an official letter to the Minister of Works and FERMA to pull out of site and we were directed by the MD of FERMA to do an intervention work to make the road motorable for Nigerians travelling home for Christmas and New Year celebrations.
“We are doing pothole patching on about 36kms from Benin and the road is motorable now, if we are disciplined obey traffic rules, there will be free movement of vehicles during the Christmas and New Year celebrations.

“I want to assure you that Nigerians can travel freely on the road without any hitches for the Christmas and New Year celebrations,” Olatunde said.

He, however, said that some of the roads had deteriorated beyond maintenance, and that the agency was reconstructing some failed portions on that section of the road as well as patching and filling the potholes.

“We have worked on 36 kilometres and I can tell you that the stretch of the road is motorable now, in fact we have opened up those portions blocked by RCC,” he said.

Engr Olatunde told the committee further that there was an existing federal government contract awarded to RCC on the road, adding that the contractor stopped work due to the recent kidnapping of its staff.