The Federal Government has said it needs about N880 billion every year to properly maintain roads across the country.
The Minister of State for Works, Mohammed Goroyo, said this during a hearing organised by the House of Representatives Ad-Hoc Committee in Abuja on Monday. The hearing focused on how the five per cent user charge meant for road maintenance is being handled.
According to Goroyo, the amount given to the Federal Road Maintenance Agency each year has been far less than what is needed to keep roads in good condition.
He said, “FERMA needs an estimated N880 billion every year to maintain roads properly. But in 2023, only N76.3 billion was given, N103.3 billion in 2024, and N168.9 billion is planned for 2025.”
He explained that because of this poor funding, the agency can only fix roads when they are already bad instead of preventing them from spoiling.
“The roads keep getting worse, and the money needed to fix them increases. This also causes problems for people and businesses using the roads,” he said.
Goroyo also pointed out that the five per cent user charge on petroleum products, which is meant to help fund road maintenance, is not being remitted properly.
“This user charge, if implemented well, can solve the funding problem and reduce our dependence on yearly budgets,” he added.
Also speaking at the hearing, the Managing Director of FERMA, Chukwuemeka Abbasi, said the failure to implement the user charge has affected the agency’s work.
He said, “Under President Bola Tinubu’s Renewed Hope Agenda, the Ministry of Works is focused on delivering strong infrastructure that helps the economy and connects people. But poor funding has made it hard for FERMA to maintain the road network.”
Abbasi said the five per cent charge was already part of the law under the FERMA Act but was not being followed.
“Our roads are important for business and social life, and maintaining them is not a choice—it’s a duty,” he said.
Speaker of the House of Representatives, Tajudeen Abbas, opened the hearing by recalling a motion passed by the House on March 19. The motion raised concerns about the failure to pay the five per cent charge.
He said, “We must investigate this matter fully. Sections 88 and 89 of the Nigerian Constitution give us the power to check how government funds are being used. We want to know how much money has not been paid and who is responsible.”
He said the aim of the investigation is not to create new laws or raise fuel prices, but to make sure existing laws are followed and that road maintenance funds are properly managed.
Also speaking, the chairman of the Ad-Hoc Committee, Francis Waive, said the user charge has been in the law since 2007, but it has not been obeyed.
“This investigation is about making sure that all laws made by the National Assembly are respected by everyone, including government agencies,” he said.
The committee promised to recommend ways to stop further misuse of the law and help FERMA get easy access to funds for better roads across Nigeria.
