The Minister of State for Works, Mohammad Goronyo, has raised significant concerns regarding the budgetary allocation for the Federal Roads Maintenance Agency (FERMA), deeming it insufficient for the agency's extensive responsibilities in maintaining and repairing roads across Nigeria.
During a budget defense session before the joint committees of the Senate and House on FERMA, Goronyo stated that the agency requires over N700 billion annually to effectively manage the nation's federal roads.
FERMA has proposed a budget of N64.88 billion for the 2025 fiscal year, which includes allocations of N4.9 billion for personnel costs, N33.468 billion for overhead costs, and N26.487 billion for capital expenditures.
This proposed budget represents a decrease from the N77 billion requested for 2024. The current allocation prioritizes major trunk A roads across Nigeria's six geopolitical zones, aligning with President Bola Tinubu's development objectives under the Renewed Hope Agenda.
In his remarks, Goronyo highlighted that while N96.7 billion was initially allocated to FERMA in the 2024 budget, this amount was later increased to N103.3 billion by presidential intervention. However, he noted that only N41.282 billion had been disbursed from the Accountant-General's office, with approximately N40.287 billion already utilized.
Goronyo emphasized FERMA's commitment to transparency and accountability through data-driven decision-making and community engagement in road maintenance planning. He expressed gratitude to committee members for their continued support in fostering sustainable development of federal road infrastructure.
The minister lamented the chronic underfunding of FERMA, citing an oversight visit by the committee that revealed the inadequacy of annual budget allocations to meet the demands of maintaining an extensive network of federal roads. He urged committee members to advocate for increased financial support to enhance preventive maintenance and sustainable practices.
