The Minister of State for Works, Mohammad Goronyo, has raised alarms about the inadequate budgetary allocation to the Federal Roads Maintenance Agency.
He said the agency needs over N700bn yearly to maintain federal roads nationwide.
He emphasized that the current funding does not match the scale of the agency’s responsibilities, which involve maintaining and repairing roads across the entire country.
Given the critical importance of the agency’s work in ensuring the safety and efficiency of the national road network, Goronyo called for an increase in funding to address the vast infrastructure challenges.
This was disclosed by minister his opening presentation at the budget defence before the joint session of the Senate and House Committees on FERMA.
Goronyo stated that the amount is lower than the N77bn proposed for the year 2024.
In his address, the Minister of State for Works, highlighted that the 2024 budget initially allocated N96.7 billion to FERMA.
However, he noted that the allocation was later increased to N103.3 billion by the President, describing the adjustment as a magnanimous gesture.
Of this sum, only N41.282bn was released from the office of the Accountant-General of the Federation to the agency out of which N40.287bn has been utilised to date.
Goronyo said that FERMA is dedicated to ensuring transparency and accountability in its operations.
He highlighted the agency’s commitment to using data-driven decision-making to prioritize and manage road maintenance effectively.
He disclosed that in collaboration with the committees and key stakeholders, efforts to reduce the burden on Federal Government maintenance of road assets nationwide are being looked into.
However, he lamented the paucity of funds, stating that an oversight visit by the committee on March 7, 2024, observed that the yearly budget allocation to the agency is grossly inadequate to cater to the enormous task of maintaining the nation’s extensive network of federal roads which will require over N700bn.
He said, “I want to implore this esteemed committee to support the agency to ensure the sustainability of road infrastructure maintenance. The benefits of increased financial support will ensure scaling up preventive maintenance and promoting sustainable road maintenance practices.
“FERMA is in the process of developing, modifying, and redefining key policies which will generate resources for the Agency to proactively maintain our roads for ease of movement of people, goods, and services. But the yearly budget allocation to the agency is grossly inadequate to cater to the enormous task of maintaining the nation’s extensive network of Federal Roads which will require over N700bn annually.”
Goronyo further expressed his gratitude to the members of the Committees for their steadfast support in advancing the sustainable development and maintenance of the nation’s federal road infrastructure.
In his opening remarks, the Chairman of the Senate Committee on FERMA, Hussaini Babangida, expressed concern over the practice of prioritizing the construction of new roads without putting in place sufficient measures to maintain the existing ones.
Babangida revealed that the committee was taken aback upon seeing the proposed budgetary allocation to FERMA, as they were concerned by the disproportionate focus on the construction of new roads at the expense of maintaining existing ones.
He questioned why so much attention was being directed towards new projects while the maintenance of the current road infrastructure, which is crucial for sustainability, seemed to be neglected.
