Alternative funding required to maintain federal roads – Minister

The Minister of State for Works, Muhammad Bello Goronyo, has said that the over 35,000km of the Federal Government road network requires alternative funding arrangements, as budgetary allocations alone have proven inadequate over the years.

This is despite an approved allocation of N926.2bn for road projects and N64.88bn for road maintenance in the 2025 budget.

He pointed out that, due to the significant financial burden involved, it has become crucial to explore and secure alternative sources of funding beyond the traditional government coffer to ensure the maintenance and expansion of this extensive infrastructure.

Goronyo made this statement during a visit to the Kogi State Field Office of the Federal Roads Maintenance Agency in Lokoja, alongside the MD/CEO, Engr. Chukwumeka Agbasi.

This was contained in a statement signed by the Director of Press and Public Relations of the Ministry, Mohammed Ahmed, on Tuesday.

He said, “About 35,000km of roads cannot be funded and maintained overnight. We have to look for alternative sources of funding so that we can continue to maintain our physical assets, which are the roads. We have to create new ways of funding and new alternatives.”

He assured that the government was focused on ensuring that projects are completed in a timely and efficient manner with robust oversight and contractors’ compliance.

The minister also reaffirmed the commitment of the current administration to fix all the roads to ensure a drastic reduction in the level of unemployment, rate of crimes, and insecurity.

The statement added, “Let me commend President Tinubu for his determination. I have never seen a President so committed to sustaining physical assets nationwide. The administration gives priority to various road projects scattered across the country.

“This shows that he is a patriotic Nigerian. He is undertaking these projects so that our economy can be improved, and the rate of unemployment, poverty, and crimes will be reduced. We are seeing the Super Highways from Ilelah to Sokoto to Badagry and another from Lagos to Calabar.”

Goronyo, who commended the staff of FERMA for their resilience and hard work over the years, noted that despite insecurity, and inadequate funding, Nigerians have been commending them for their excellent work.

He urged them to bear with the Ministry of Works over their entitlements, disclosing that their requests for adjustment and increment in consequential salaries have been forwarded to the Salaries, Income, and Wages Commission for consideration and approval.

He stated, “I am calling on all of you to support us to ensure that the President succeeds in his mandate to deliver on the 8-point Renewed Hope Agenda. We must put Nigeria first before our interests. Let us fix our roads, we must think positively.”

Earlier in his address, the Managing Director and Chief Executive Officer of FERMA, Chukwumeka Agbasi, commended the Ministry of Works for its determination to ensure that the eight-point agenda of President Tinubu is realised, especially road projects across the country.

He informed the staff that before the end of the year, there would be an increment in their salaries and appealed to them to continue to support and partner with the Ministry to achieve their targeted goals.

Providing an overview, the Officer in charge of the Kogi Field Office, Muktar Abdurahim, informed the minister that the office has 37 staff with 25 permanent and 12 casual workers.

He disclosed that Kogi State has 16 Federal Government roads with a total of 1,263km, emphasising that the 2024 nationwide flood incident did not affect any of the roads in the state.

 Abdulrahim revealed that out of six roads under construction in the state, five have been successfully executed, while one is at 60 per cent completion.

He informed the minister that they are facing challenges such as insecurity, and hyperinflation on the cost of construction materials, amongst others.