The appointment of Dr Chukwuemeka Agbasi as the new Managing Director of Federal Road Maintenance Agency (FERMA) by President Bola Ahmed Tinubu has so far demonstrated unwavering determination to drive tangible progress in just barely five months after assuming office.
With this latest move, President Tinubu already displays an uncanny ability to pursue results in the general interest of all Nigerians regardless of party, religious or ethnic affiliations.
This forward-thinking decision to make Agbasi FERMA’s MD further reflects a commitment to inclusivity, unity, and the recognition of exceptional leadership qualities.
Dr Agbasi’s appointment comes at a pivotal time in Nigeria’s history, marked by challenges that demand innovative solutions and cohesive governance in road infrastructure construction and maintenance. His track record in FERMA demonstrates his dedication to public service, effective administrative, and the betterment of the lives of tax payers across the country’s six geopolitical zones.
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President Tinubu’s selection of Agbasi acknowledges the need for a government that is not only diverse but also responsive to the aspirations and concerns of citizens from all corners of Nigeria. This appointment amongst others, sends a positive message to the youths and the entire nation, emphasizing the importance of embracing unity amidst diversity.
Agbasi’s exemplary performance in his career and service to the Nigerian nation qualified him for the position of MD in FERMA to deliver quality service to Nigeria.
Who truly is Dr Agbasi? He is an accomplished Civil Engineer who holds MSc/DIC (Concrete Structures) and PhD (Civil Engineering) degrees from Imperial College London and University of London respectively and a post graduate certificate in Engineering Management from the University of Bath Management School, UK. He obtained his BEng (Civil Engineering) and Meng (Materials & Construction) degrees from the University of Nigeria Nsukka.
He is a UK certified PRINCE 2 practitioner, APMG certified PPP Professional, and has attended several courses including management and leadership course at Sloan School of Management, Massachusetts Institute of Technology (MIT), USA.
Presently, he’s a Director and Head, PPP, Multilateral & Special Duties Department at the Federal Roads Maintenance Agency (FERMA) where he is leading and pioneering development work on mainstreaming asset management, deploying new strategies for maintaining the road network and integrating climate change resilience, and managing the interface of the Agency’s programmes with DFID/FCDO, USAID, ECOWAS, JICA, Government of Japan, World Bank, AfDB amongst others.
Before pitching his tent with FERMA, he was a Senior Structures Advisor and Project Sponsor at the Highways Agency (HA), an executive Agency of the UK Department of Transport. Other engineering roles in the UK built environment and construction sector were with Kvaerner Technology (part of Kvaerner Construction Group, now Skanska Construction), and WhitbyBird (now part of Ramboll Group).
He has been engaged as a research associate at Imperial College London, and Loughborough University where he executed fixed term commercial research contracts. His early career was in Nigeria where he worked as a civil/structural engineer in a consulting engineering practice and a Researcher/Lecturer at the University of Nigeria Nsukka.
Dr Agbasi has over 30 years local and international engineering and management (consulting and contracting) and applied research experience spanning design and construction, structural investigation, condition survey and assessment, on-site troubleshooting, materials testing at macro and micro levels, product development, and project management.
As a technocrat, he successfully developed and implemented strategies and methodologies for repair and maintenance regimes for civil infrastructure and advised on serviceability issues to ensure adequate in-service performance, particularly for structures procured under Private Finance Initiative/Design Build Finance Operate route with long-term concession period.
He has maintained an interest in whole life management of structures including IT tools for asset management and integrated project delivery processes. He has authored several technical reports/papers and has presented papers at international conferences in Africa, America, Asia, and Europe.
Empirical evidence shows that Agbasi developed policies and standards and as well managed resources, including support in the development of staff, and use of the EFQM Excellence Model to seek continuous improvement in the operational services and staff.
Also, Agbasi modelled and analysed internal engineering project delivery processes (with technical, project management and finance crossovers) and integrated interfaces with the external project processes. Developed ‘as-is’ and ‘to-be’ process and data models, supply chain integration strategy, and evaluated opportunities for business process improvement using value and concurrent engineering principles.
Babafemi Oke is a software developer based in Ibadan, Oyo State.
