An engineering expert, Chief (Engr.) Sir Chris. C. Chukwurah, has advocated the transformation of the Delta State Direct Labour Agency (DLA) to the Delta Road Maintenance Agency (DERMA).
Chief Chris Chukwurah, the pioneer General Manager of the Delta State Urban Water Board, and Osowa Owelle of Asaba, who was reacting to plans by the Works Committee of the State House of Assembly to intervene in the ailing state of DLA, said the original concept of the then Ibori administration in establishing the Agency was no longer tenable in the present day.
The 4th Degree Knight of Saint Mulumba, (KSM), polymath, author, Development Engineer and Fellow, Nigeria Society of Engineers (NSE), Fellow of Nigerian Institute of Procurement Engineers (FNIProcE) and Fellow Nigerian Institute of Management (FNIM), noted that DLA was established to handle rural road works by direct labour at a time the nation’s economy was not as bad as now.
He said the then State Government could spare some funds for the running of the Agency and awarded some rural road construction and maintenance jobs to DLA, noting, however, that all that had changed as the government was now struggling to cope with numerous competing demands due to lack of funds occasioned by the prevailing weak economy.
The retired technocrat said the proposed DERMA could be useful now that government was paying greater attention to connecting *MORE* Delta communities with quality roads, adding that the state’s increasing and expansive road networks needed a robustly planned maintenance which the proposed DERMA should statutorily handle.
Engr (Chief) Chris. Chukwurah explained that with the creation of the Ministry of Works (Rural and Riverine Roads) as well as the existence of the Ministry of Works (Highways & Urban Roads) in the state, it had become expedient to change the Direct Labour Agency’s nomenclature to Delta Road Maintenance Agency, (DERMA) and make it a Parastatal under a Ministry.
The erudite Asaba Palace Chief commended the Works Committee of the State House of Assembly for the plans to revive the Agency, which he said was necessary to address the problem of increasing failed and failing urban and rural roads in the state.
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