Reps to probe FERMA’s utilization of funds

The House of Representatives on Wednesday in Abuja resolved to investigate how the Federal Roads Maintenance Agency utilised its budgetary releases from September 2015 till date.
The House resolved to carry out the investigation after it adopted a motion by Kamale Adamu and four other members on activities of the agency.
Moving the motion earlier, Adamu said that between September 2015 and October 2016, billions of Naira was released to FERMA without commensurate work to show for the money.
He accused the agency’s authorities of illegal creation of the positions of Executive Directors in violation of the 2002 Act establishing it.
The lawmaker stressed the need to correct the alleged illegality and to investigate the usage of funds in light of the deplorable roads in the country.
According to him, section 2(1) of the FERMA Act 2002 provides for a governing board whose composition is well defined by section 2(2) of the Act.
Adamu said: “I am aware that by the provision of section 2(2) of the FERMA Act 2002, the positions of post of acting Executive Directors has not been created and therefore does not exist and is not known to the act.
“The unilateral and arbitrary creation of the positions of acting Executive Directors in FERMA by the acting Managing Director amounts to executive recklessness, lawlessness and a violation of section 2(2) of the FERMA Act 2002.”
After deliberation, the House mandated its Committee on FERMA to probe the unauthorised creation of the positions by the acting Managing Director.
The committee is also to probe the use of funds released to the agency with a view to seeing that roads across the country were fixed.