By Joyce Onuora
The Honourable Minister of State, Works, HMSW, Mohammad Bello Goronyo, Esq, has stated that the Budgetary Allocation to the Federal Emergency Roads Maintenance Agency, FERMA, is grossly inadequate considering the importance and the enormity of the task it carries out nationwide. Goronyo made this remark at the National Assembly during the year 2025 budget defense for FERMA.
The HMSW stated that N96. 7 billion was allocated to FERMA in the Act of 2024 which was later magnanimously increased to N103.3 billion by Mr. President. Of this sum, only N41. 282 billion was released from the office of the Accountant General of the Federation to the Agency out of which N40.287 has been utilized to date. For the 2025 fiscal year, FERMA proposed a budget of N64. 88 billion, comprising N4.9 billion for personnel costs, N33. 468 billion for overhead costs, and N26. 487 billion for capital costs. This budget prioritizes major trunk A roads within the six geopolitical zones, aligning with Mr. President’s development and economic recovery objectives of the Renewed Hope Agenda.
The Minister further recalled that during the Committee’s oversight visit to the Agency’s Headquarters on Thursday, 7th March, 2024, it was observed that the yearly budget allocation to the Agency is grossly inadequate to cater to the enormous task of maintaining the nation’s extensive network of Federal Roads which will require over N700 billion. The amount proposed for the year 2025 is significantly lower than the 2024 appropriation. “ I want to implore this esteemed Committee to support the Agency to ensure the sustainability of road infrastructure maintenance. The benefits of increased financial support will ensure scaling up preventive maintenance, and promoting sustainable road maintenance practices”., Goronyo concluded.
In his opening remarks, the Chairman Senate Committee on FERMA, Distinguished Senator Babangida Husaini stated that the Committee was taken aback when they saw the proposed budgetary allocation to FERMA wondering why so much attention is paid to the construction of new roads at the expense of the maintenance of the existing ones. He maintained that Nigerians are daily crying and yearning for the repairs and maintenance of the existing roads to facilitate both their movements and those of their goods. If we agree that roads are enablers of growth and development then there must be a need to interface with all stakeholders to find lasting solutions to this perennial issue of poor funding, he opined.
The Managing Director/ CEO of FERMA, Engr. Agbasi Chukwuemeka, explained the performance of the 2024 budget to the Committee while also detailing the performance of the Agency in line with its Key Performance Indicators (KPIs) which include, the length of roads maintained, the area of portholes patched, number of portholes washed out and reinstated, the number of bridges reinstated and the number of direct and indirect jobs created. He mentioned inadequate budgetary allocation, distressed aged base Pavement, damages and vandalisation of structure, pronounced climate change issues or adverse weather conditions, need to upscale the Human Resource Department to conform with modern trends in road management as some of the challenges the Agency battles with. He also informed the Committee that the equipment was worth N3. 3 billion was donated to the Agency by the Government of Japan and will soon be commissioned as part of the achievements recorded in the year 2024.
The meeting was well attended. Among the dignitaries present were the Co-Chairman of the Committee, Honourable Aderemi Oseni, Distinguished Senators and other Honourable Members of the Committee, Some Management Staff of FERMA as well as the Press.
