Reps Committee Queries FERMA Over Alleged N60bn Non-existing Projects

The House of Representatives Committee on Public Accounts (PAC), probing the alleged mismanagement of COVID-19 intervention funds from 2020 to 2021 has grilled the officials of the Federal Road Maintenance Agency (FERMA), over the ultilization of the over N60bn allocated to the Agency during the period of COVID-19 epidemics.

The Committee chaired by Hon. Bamidele Salam (PDP-OSUN), expressed utter disappointment over the way and manner the Management of FERMA led by its Managing Director, Dr. Chukwuemeka Agbasi appeared before it with a large delegation, yet could not produce enough copies of the requested documents.

FERMA which was rescheduled to re-appear before the Committee on Monday only submitted about 11 copies of the requested 60 documents to be distributed to the members and only made its submission in the morning of the same Monday as against last week Friday being the deadline for submission of documents

FERMA claimed that a total of 192 projects were carried out across the country which members took turns to debunk saying that such projects do not exist in their constituencies.

While debunking the claim by FERMA, Hon. Jeremiah Umaru, who is the Deputy chairman of the committee, pointedly said that the road mentioned in his constituency which is Wamba-Akwanga road had been in a state of disrepair for several years and was surprised to hear the Manging Director of FERMA could mention it as part of those facelifted during the Covid-19 pandemic.

Similarly, another road in Tafawa Balewa area up to a location in Plateau state also came under the spotlight as a member of the committee requested for the pictorial evidence of the road during the period stressing that the claim of the FERMA boss was far from truth.

In the same vein, Hon. Adewale Mauruff from Osun State, expressed reservations as he told his colleagues that a particular project which was contracted had its fund moved into direct labour without satisfactory explanation, adding that there was no time survey was carried out to ascertain the need to maintain that particular section as claimed by FERMA.

The road maintenance Agency was also faulted by the committee over the assertion that it had about N8.9m still outstanding in their coffers just as a project administration fee of N9 billion was frowned at with disdain by the House committee.

Following different submissions by members of the committee, its chairman, said that members would take more critical look into the books of the Agency and therefore requested for more specific documents, vouchers, and pictorial evidence of all the projects claimed to have been executed by FERMA.

Accordingly, the committee set up an ad hoc committee, headed by Hon. Jeremiah Umaru to physically verify the projects as presented by FERMA and directed the Agency to appear before it at a later date.