The Minister of State for Works, Mohammed Goroyo, has revealed that the Federal Government requires approximately ₦880 billion annually to maintain Nigeria’s federal road network.

Speaking at a House of Representatives investigative hearing on Monday in Abuja, Goroyo lamented that current budget allocations—₦76.3bn in 2023, ₦103.3bn in 2024, and a proposed ₦168.9bn for 2025—fall significantly short of what is needed, forcing the Federal Road Maintenance Agency (FERMA) into reactive maintenance rather than a preventive approach.

He stressed the importance of fully implementing and remitting the 5% road user charge on petrol and diesel, established under the FERMA Act, as a sustainable funding source. FERMA’s Managing Director, Chukwuemeka Agbasi, also noted that this charge has never been implemented by regulatory bodies.

House Speaker Tajudeen Abbas, who opened the session, emphasized the legislature’s constitutional duty to investigate the non-remittance of the user charge and ensure accountability. Chairman of the committee, Francis Waive, clarified that the user charge has existed since 2007 and is not a new tax but a legal obligation being ignored.