Nigeria’s Roads At Risk: FG Says N880bn Needed Yearly To Stop Infrastructure Collapse
June 3, 2025
The Federal Government has issued a stark warning: Nigeria requires a staggering ₦880 billion annually to maintain its federal road network and prevent further deterioration. This revelation was made by Minister of State for Works, Mohammed Goroyo, during a House of Representatives investigative hearing in Abuja on Monday.
According to Goroyo, the Federal Road Maintenance Agency (FERMA) has been operating on insufficient funds, receiving only a fraction of what is needed to keep the nation’s roads in optimal condition. “In 2023, FERMA was allocated ₦76.3 billion. In 2024, that rose to ₦103.3 billion, and for 2025, ₦168.9 billion was budgeted. These amounts, though increasing, fall far short of the ₦880 billion required annually,” he stated.
The minister stressed that this persistent funding gap has pushed FERMA into a reactive rather than preventive maintenance model. The consequences are visible nationwide: worsening road conditions, mounting repair costs, and economic setbacks due to prolonged delays for commuters and transporters.
“A proactive strategy, backed by reliable funding, is essential for a safe and efficient national road network,” Goroyo warned.
The investigative hearing, convened by the House Ad-Hoc Committee, is probing the non-remittance of the 5% user charge on petroleum products—an amount legally mandated to support FERMA under the FERMA Amendment Act of 2007.
Despite the law, the template for deducting this road user charge was never implemented by the now-defunct Petroleum Product Pricing Regulatory Authority, according to FERMA Managing Director, Chukwuemeka Abbasi. He emphasized that FERMA’s inability to access this funding stream has severely hampered its operations.
“Roads are the arteries of commerce and unity. The 5% user charge was meant to be a sustainable funding lifeline for road maintenance,” Abbasi said. “But FERMA has been starved of this vital resource for years.”
Speaker of the House, Tajudeen Abbas, opened the hearing by referencing a motion passed on March 19, calling for a probe into the violation of the user charge law. “We have a constitutional duty under Sections 88 and 89 to find out who is responsible for the non-implementation and how much has been left unremitted,” Abbas said.
He tasked the committee with producing firm recommendations to prevent future abuse and streamline access to these funds, ensuring that road maintenance agencies are no longer held back by avoidable bureaucratic failures.
Committee Chairman Francis Waive emphasized that the 5% charge does not mean a price hike in petroleum products, but is already part of existing law. “Our aim is to correct the neglect and ensure compliance going forward,” he noted.
As Nigeria continues to grapple with crumbling infrastructure and rising transportation costs, the lack of proper funding for road maintenance is emerging as a national emergency. Without swift action and financial reforms, the nation’s road network risks further collapse—dragging economic growth and public safety along with it.
