The Federal Road Maintenance Agency (FERMA) has commenced routine maintenance of the Abakaliki–Enugu–Cross River border highway, a critical federal corridor where residents say more than 30 people have lost their lives in road crashes over the past two years.
The intervention, carried out under FERMA’s Routine and Preventive Maintenance Work Programme (RPMWP), began Wednesday July 29, 2026 with the patching of potholes, clearing of overgrown vegetation and desilting of drains and culverts to restore safety and improve traffic flow.
Speaking during the exercise, FERMA Ebonyi field office, Mr. Akinyemi Ojo, said the programme was in line with the Renewed Hope Agenda of the federal government, aimed at ensuring safer roads, improved security and uninterrupted movement of people and goods.
Ojo explained that the maintenance was designed to preserve federal road infrastructure through continuous intervention before roads deteriorate into conditions requiring major rehabilitation.
He said the agency was concentrating on three critical areas—vegetation control, desilting of hydraulic structures and patching of minor potholes—to keep the highway in a safe and motorable condition.
According to him, clearing thick vegetation along the corridor would improve motorists’ visibility while eliminating hideouts for criminal elements who prey on road users.
He added that the programme would also create jobs for residents of host communities and reduce flooding through sustainable drainage maintenance.
Residents of Onuebonyi and Igbeagu communities applauded the intervention, describing it as long overdue in view of the frequent crashes recorded on the highway.
One of the residents, Mr. Sylvester Odom, alleged that over 30 lives had been lost on the Onuebonyi stretch of the road within two years, due to potholes and the poor state of the highway.
He expressed optimism that the maintenance would reduce accidents and improve safety on the strategic route linking the South-east with northern Nigeria and neighbouring African countries.