The Federal Road Maintenance Agency (FERMA) has commenced routine and preventive maintenance work on the Kabba–Omuo Road, a critical economic corridor linking the South-West through Ekiti State to Kogi State.
The intervention is being carried out under the Agency’s Routine and Preventive Maintenance Work Programme (RPMWP), with the aim of improving road safety, preserving the highway and facilitating smooth movement along the strategic corridor.
The maintenance exercise, which commenced on August 1, 2026, is being undertaken by FERMA’s Kogi State Field Office.
Speaking on the intervention, the Federal Roads Maintenance Engineer, Kogi Field Office, Engr. Muktar Abdulrahim, said the programme was in line with the Federal Government’s Renewed Hope Agenda, particularly its commitment to improving road infrastructure, enhancing security and facilitating economic activities across the country.
He explained that the programme was designed to prevent the deterioration of federal roads, improve motorability and ensure safer journeys for road users.
According to him, the ongoing maintenance activities include vegetation control, desilting of culverts and drainage channels, as well as the patching of minor potholes to preserve the road and extend its service life.
Abdulrahim said the intervention was part of FERMA’s continuous effort to assess and maintain federal road assets before their conditions deteriorate to the point of requiring major rehabilitation.
“This routine maintenance is a maintenance-based initiative to ensure continuous assessment of federal roads, with the primary aim of preserving them from deterioration and enhancing overall safety and motorability.
“Our core objective is to preserve the structural life of federal road assets by keeping roads and critical corridors in a safe and motorable condition. That is why we are carrying out pothole patching.
“The major activities include vegetation control, desilting of hydraulic structures such as culverts and drains, and patching of minor potholes. This is routine maintenance because the road is still considered motorable, but these interventions will preserve its lifespan, improve travel time and reduce traffic-related challenges,” he said.
The engineer also highlighted the security benefits of vegetation control, noting that clearing overgrown vegetation along the highway would improve visibility for motorists and reduce areas where criminal elements could conceal themselves.
“Once the grasses are cleared, motorists will have better visibility and hoodlums will no longer have places to hide to attack travellers. That is one of the key objectives of this programme,” he said.
Abdulrahim further disclosed that the maintenance programme would create direct employment opportunities for residents of host communities, while the desilting of blocked waterways and drainage structures would help mitigate flooding and improve the effectiveness of the road’s drainage system.Residents Welcome Intervention
Meanwhile, residents of communities along the Kabba axis of the highway have commended President Bola Tinubu-led Federal Government and FERMA for commencing the maintenance work, describing the intervention as timely and long overdue.
Residents said the intervention was particularly important in view of the increasing pressure on the road and the number of accidents recorded along the route.
A resident, Abdulhakeem Bayode, expressed concern over the deteriorating condition of the road, noting that the route has experienced a significant increase in the movement of heavy-duty trailers, articulated trucks, petroleum tankers, commercial buses and other long-distance vehicles.
He attributed the increased pressure on the road to the diversion of traffic from other routes, coupled with the impact of heavy rainfall, which has further worsened road conditions in some areas.
According to Bayode, the Kabba–Omuo Road has increasingly become a preferred alternative route for thousands of interstate motorists travelling between the northern and southern parts of Nigeria.
He said the resulting surge in traffic has placed considerable pressure on the federal highways passing through Kabba township, exceeding their normal traffic capacity and contributing to pavement failures, deep potholes and the rapid deterioration of some sections of the road.
“We are happy that the Tinubu-led Federal Government and FERMA have finally begun maintenance work on the road. This is indeed a renewed hope. It is a welcome development,” he said.
The ongoing intervention is expected to improve the immediate condition of the Kabba–Omuo corridor while helping to preserve the road asset, enhance safety, support economic activities and facilitate smoother movement for motorists and communities along the route.