The Federal Government has included a N367.9 billion multilateral/bilateral loan for the ongoing construction and dualisation of Lafia Road and the 9th Mile–Otukpo–Makurdi corridor in the proposed 2026 budget, which totals N58.47 trillion.
The loan-backed project is one of the largest allocations under the Ministry of Works in the 2026 Appropriation Bill (Details) document.
It forms part of the government’s strategy to advance long-running federal road projects through a mix of budgetary funding and external financing.
According to the Appropriation Bill details, the Ministry of Works was allocated N3.49 trillion in the 2026 fiscal year, with N3.44 trillion set aside for capital expenditure, largely directed at ongoing road construction, rehabilitation, and dualisation projects nationwide.
The document showed that the Lafia Road and 9th Mile (Enugu)–Otukpo–Makurdi project was listed under ERGP12234171 as a multilateral/bilateral tied loan, with a proposed allocation of N367,902,737,115.
The Appropriation Bill details further classified the project as ongoing, placing it among several long-term road works being supervised by the Ministry of Works.
Beyond the Lafia–Makurdi corridor, the 2026 budget includes several other significant ongoing projects under the Ministry of Works.
The construction of the Ikot Ekpene border–Aba–Owerri dualisation also received N7.7 billion, while the rehabilitation of the Numan–Jalingo Road was allocated N7.0 billion.
The dualisation of the Kano–Maiduguri Road (Damaturu–Maiduguri section) was allocated N7.0 billion, while the reconstruction of the Mubi–Maiduguri Road (Section 3) received N7.01 billion.
The Ministry of Works’ 2026 allocations also included other major ongoing and planned items.
The contingency fund (ERGP1247779) was assigned N100 billion, while proposed new projects across six geopolitical zones (ERGP1247780) were allocated N600 billion; however, the Appropriation Bill did not provide specifics on these projects.
These allocations highlight the scale of investment planned for the country’s road infrastructure. They also demonstrate that ongoing projects, alongside new initiatives, form a substantial part of the Ministry’s proposed 2026 spending.
The Federal Government has long noted that maintaining Nigeria’s 35,000-kilometre federal road network cannot rely on budgetary allocations alone.
Roads funded through such alternative arrangements are typically tolled to recover investment and ensure long-term sustainability.