By Gloria Ikibah
The House of Representatives has urged the Federal Government to allocate 20 per cent of the 2025 budget of the Federal Ministry of Works to the Agency to enable it to function effectively.
This resolution was sequel to the adoption of a motion on the “Need To Increase the Budgetary Allocation to the Federal Road Maintenance Agency For The Maintenance And Repairs Of Federal Roads Across The Country”, moved by Rep. Aderemi Oseni.
Rep. Oseni noted that the federal government was committed to enhancing economic activities and productivity by ensuring the effective maintenance and repair of Federal Roads throughout the year.
The lawmaker however expressed worries that the majority of the federal roads across the country are in disrepair, dilapidated, and unpassable, causing economic loss to governments and citizens due to continuous neglect.
Rep. Oseni said: “The Federal Roads Maintenance Agency (FERMA) is the agency with the mandate to maintain and rehabilitate all Federal roads across the country and has been doing its best with the paltry budgetary allocation it receives annually which cannot make any significant impact due to the large number roads across the country that need urgent repairs and rehabilitation”.
He therefore highlighted that the inadequate funding of FERMA translates to outright neglect in the maintenance of the roads, as an average of N300 billion to N500 billion was required annually to maintain the federal roads.
The lawmaker said that the annual budget of FERMA is a meagre sum of about N25 billion, to N50 billion within the last two years, which is about 10 percent of the required amount.
“Federal Ministry of Works in the 2024 budget has about one trillion Naira, thus a need to allocate 20% (percent) of the Ministry of Works budget to FERMA in the 2025 budget estimates, to enable FERMA to fulfill the purpose of its establishment of maintenance of existing roads.
“There is a need to increase the budgetary allocation of FERMA in 2025 budget estimates to enable it to discharge its responsibility effectively and engender economic growth in the country”, he added.