By Jabiru Hassan, Kano
The Federal Roads Maintenance Agency (FERMA) has presented a proposed budget of ₦64.88 billion for the 2025 fiscal year. The breakdown includes ₦4.9 billion for personnel costs, ₦33.468 billion for overhead costs, and ₦26.487 billion for capital projects.
The budget proposal, which is lower than the ₦77 billion allocated for 2024, prioritizes the maintenance of key trunk ‘A’ roads across Nigeria’s six geopolitical zones. This aligns with President Bola Ahmed Tinubu’s Renewed Hope Agenda, focusing on infrastructure development and economic recovery.
Speaking during the budget defense at a joint session of the Senate and House Committees on FERMA, the Minister of State for Works, Muhammad Bello Goronyo, emphasized the agency’s commitment to transparency, accountability, and data-driven decision-making in road maintenance planning.
“FERMA is developing policies to generate resources that will enable proactive road maintenance, ensuring the ease of movement for people, goods, and services,” Goronyo stated.
The minister also highlighted ongoing efforts to collaborate with stakeholders to reduce the federal government’s burden of road maintenance. He expressed gratitude to the committees for their continued support in sustaining road infrastructure.
FERMA’s Managing Director, Engr. Emeka Agbasi, stressed the agency’s challenges, including inadequate budgetary allocations and funding releases for the 2024 budget, which have hindered preventive maintenance efforts.
“Many federal roads, constructed in the 1970s, require extensive rehabilitation, and the abuse of roads by users further reduces their lifespan,” Agbasi explained.
Senator Hussaini Babangida, Chairman of the Senate Committee on FERMA, criticized the focus on constructing new roads without adequately maintaining existing ones. He called for alternative funding sources to improve the budget for road maintenance.
The proposal underscores FERMA’s call for increased financial support to address the deteriorating condition of federal roads, ensuring safer and more efficient transportation across the country.
