The Gederal government requires about ₦880 billion every year to properly maintain its federal road network, according to the Minister of State for Works, Mohammed Goroyo.
Speaking during an investigative hearing at the House of Representatives in Abuja on Monday, Goroyo said that current funding levels fall far short of what is needed. In 2023, the government allocated ₦76.3 billion to road maintenance; in 2024, ₦103.3 billion; and in the proposed 2025 budget, ₦168.9 billion. But these figures remain significantly below the amount needed to keep roads in good condition.
“This persistent funding gap has forced the Federal Road Maintenance Agency (FERMA) into reactive maintenance rather than a preventive approach,” Goroyo said. “The result is worsening road conditions, higher repair costs, and major disruptions for travellers and businesses.”
He stressed the importance of fully implementing a 5% user charge on petrol and diesel sales, which was intended to provide a consistent stream of funding for road maintenance under the FERMA Act.
However, Chukwuemeka Agbasi, Managing Director of FERMA, revealed that this user charge has never been implemented by the responsible authorities — formerly the Petroleum Product Pricing Regulatory Agency, now the Nigeria Midstream Petroleum Regulatory Authority.
“Our roads are the lifelines of commerce and national unity. Maintaining them is not just policy, but a national duty,” Agbasi said, calling the lack of funding a major obstacle to progress under the government’s Renewed Hope Agenda.
Speaker of the House, Tajudeen Abbas, said lawmakers were investigating why the 5% charge had not been collected or remitted as required by the FERMA Amendment Act of 2007. He said the House must determine how much money is missing, who is responsible, and what must be done to enforce the law going forward.
Francis Waive, chair of the committee leading the probe, said the user charge is already part of Nigerian law and is not a new tax or price hike. “The goal is to ensure that laws passed by the National Assembly are respected and followed by all,” he said.