FERMA: Dr. Atiku Abubakar Takes Charge in Kebbi Field Office .... Assures Of Sustained Road Maintenance

Dr. Atiku Abubakar Sadiq in a handshake with Engr. Usman Zagga during his assumption of office in Kebbi

"I will build on the foundation already established by the field office, strengthen collaboration with FERMA management, the state government, road users and other stakeholders to address critical road maintenance challenges." Engr Atiku.

The Federal Road Maintenance Agency (FERMA), Kebbi State Field Office, has a new helmsman, with Engr. Abubakar Atiku Sadiq (PhD) formally assuming duty as the new Federal Road Maintenance Engineer (FRME) in the state.

Sadiq took over from Engr. Rilwanu Usman Zagga during a handover and taking-over ceremony in Birnin Kebbi, with a pledge to consolidate ongoing efforts to keep federal roads across the state safe and motorable.

The new FRME in his address assured staff of the Kebbi Field Office that he would build on the foundation already established by the field office, while strengthening collaboration with FERMA management, the state government, road users and other stakeholders to address critical road maintenance challenges.

He assured staff of his commitment to effective service delivery, stressing that the condition of federal roads remained critical to the movement of people, agricultural produce and goods across Kebbi and neighbouring states.

Sadiq acknowledged the contributions of his predecessor to the development of the field office, describing the existing structure as a solid foundation on which he intended to build.

He urged staff to remain committed to professionalism and teamwork, assuring them that the change in leadership would not disrupt the agency’s activities.

“I will continue from where Usman stopped,” Sadiq said, assuring staff and stakeholders that “all will be well, by God’s grace.”

The new FRME’s assumption of office comes against the backdrop of the need for sustained maintenance of federal highways in Kebbi, a major agricultural state whose road network is critical to the evacuation of farm produce and movement of people and commodities.

FERMA has in recent years undertaken various interventions on federal roads in the state, including repairs of failed sections, pothole patching, drainage and culvert works and other maintenance activities. The agency has also used direct-labour interventions to tackle critical portions of roads affected by flooding, erosion and other forms of deterioration.

The new field engineer is therefore expected to ensure that maintenance interventions are promptly deployed to deteriorating sections before they develop into major failures.

Speaking at the ceremony, the outgoing FRME, Usman, who has been transferred to FERMA’s Zonal Office in Sokoto as Acting Zonal Director, expressed confidence in his successor and urged staff and stakeholders to give Sadiq the same level of cooperation that supported his administration.

Usman said the Kebbi Field Office had distinguished itself through hard work, effective monitoring, stakeholder engagement and professionalism, adding that it had been rated first among FERMA field offices in the country in 2023.

He also urged the new FRME to sustain the focus on monitoring, synergy and timely intervention, particularly in ensuring that federal roads remain motorable throughout the year.

For Sadiq, however, the immediate task is to translate the existing foundation into sustained road maintenance and improved service delivery, as motorists and communities across the state look forward to more responsive interventions on federal highways.

His assumption of office consequently marks a new phase for FERMA’s operations in Kebbi, with expectations that the field office will maintain the momentum in road maintenance while responding more quickly to emerging challenges across the state.