FERMA Commences Rehabilitation of Ilorin–Ogbomoso Highway for Safer Travel

The Federal Roads Maintenance Agency has launched a critical rehabilitation project on the Ilorin–Ogbomoso Highway, aiming to enhance road safety and ensure smoother travel for motorists during the upcoming festive season. The initiative is part of FERMA’s nationwide “Operation Connect Your Destination” program, which is intensified annually during periods of high traffic volume.

Lukman Onimago, the Officer-in-Charge of FERMA’s Kwara State Field Office, confirmed the development during an on-the-spot assessment of the ongoing works on Tuesday. He urged motorists to exercise caution and share in the responsibility of protecting public infrastructure.

“We are appealing to motorists to drive safely and also ensure the protection of government infrastructure,” Onimago stated. “These roads are public assets meant to serve everyone. Road safety is a shared duty.”

He elaborated that the current rehabilitation aligns with the broader objectives of President Bola Tinubu’s Renewed Hope Agenda, which emphasizes the necessity of safe, functional, and motorable road networks across Nigeria. The “Operation Connect Your Destination” program is FERMA’s strategic response to the seasonal surge in travel, designed specifically to facilitate safe journeys for citizens returning to their hometowns.

“Operation Connect Your Destination is an annual programme of FERMA, usually intensified during the festive season, to ensure that Nigerians can travel safely to their destinations,” Onimago explained.

The scope of work on the vital corridor, which serves as a major link between Kwara and Oyo States, involves patching potholes and repairing critically failed sections. The primary goal is to minimize traffic disruptions and significantly reduce the risk of road accidents during one of the busiest travel periods of the year.

“The essence of this rehabilitation is to ensure that every citizen gets to their destination safely and in good time, with a view to reducing road accidents to the barest minimum,” Onimago emphasized.

The project, being executed by FERMA’s Kwara State office, is focused on restoring the highway’s usability and easing the movement of vehicles and goods.

The intervention has been positively received by motorists and residents along the route, who have seized the opportunity to call on the Federal Government to institutionalize regular and proactive maintenance of key federal highways across the country.