Nigeria Needs N880 Billion Yearly to Fix Roads Says Minister
The Minister of State for Works, Mohammed Goroyo, has said that the Nigerian government needs about N880 billion every year to properly maintain the country’s federal roads.
He said this on Monday during a hearing by the House of Representatives Ad-Hoc Committee investigating how the 5% road user charge for maintenance is being implemented. The hearing took place in Abuja.
Goroyo explained that the yearly budget given to the Federal Road Maintenance Agency (FERMA) is not enough. In 2023, only N76.3 billion was given. In 2024, it increased to N103.3 billion, and N168.9 billion has been planned for 2025. But all of this is still far below what is needed.
He said, “FERMA needs N880 billion each year to maintain roads well. But we keep getting much less. That’s why we are only fixing roads when they’re already damaged, instead of keeping them in good shape.”
He added that this poor funding is making Nigerian roads worse and causing delays for travelers and businesses. Goroyo believes that using the 5% user charge on petrol and diesel, which is already part of the law, could help solve the problem. But so far, the charge has not been implemented.
FERMA’s Managing Director, Chukwuemeka Abbasi, also spoke. He said the road user charge is part of the FERMA Act and is supposed to fund road repairs. But the money has not been made available because the charge has never been deducted by the Petroleum Product Pricing Regulatory Authority, now known as the Nigeria Midstream Petroleum Regulatory Authority.
Abbasi said, “Our roads help connect people and support businesses. Taking care of them is not just policy—it’s necessary. But because we’re not getting the money promised, we can’t do our job well.”
Speaker of the House of Representatives, Tajudeen Abbas, said the House is looking into why the 5% user charge has not been used as required by law since 2007. He said the lawmakers must find out how much money is missing and who is responsible.
He added that the investigation will help stop further abuse of the law and make it easier for the government to access funds needed for road repairs.
Francis Waive, Chairman of the Ad-Hoc Committee and the House Committee on Rules and Business, said the 5% user charge is already part of Nigerian law and does not mean a rise in fuel prices. He stressed that the hearing aims to make sure the law is followed.
The committee promised to make strong recommendations to improve how the funds are collected and used. They said every law passed by the National Assembly must be respected by both individuals and government agencies.