From Isaac Anumihe, Abuja
Minister of Works Engineer David Umahi has said that the proposed N77,390,766,140 for the Federal Roads Maintenance Agency (FERMA) is inadequate, soliciting for an upward review of its appropriation.
Umahi said this during a budget defence before the National Assembly.
According to Umahi, FERMA was doing its best in the rehabilitation and maintenance of the nation’s roads.
He said that it was necessary for the budget to be reviewed upward, and that a contingency fund is supposed to be kept aside for urgent intervention on emergency road repairs.
The Minister solicited a review of the ministry’s budget for fairness and equity, reiterating that road designs in the country will be reviewed for better roads construction and maintenance which will allow the roads to last longer.
In his presentation of the 2023/2024 Budget Performance and Defence, Managing Director/Chief Executive Officer of FERMA, Engineer Chukwuemeka Agbasi, said that the roads selected for the 2024 capital budget proposal were based on equitable distribution according to the six geopolitical zones of the country.
In a statement, he explained that priorities were given to major trunk A roads within the zones that would key into Mr. President’s priority areas of National Development and Economic Recovery; roads that would massively improve movement of persons, goods, services and agricultural produce to boost food security and economic wellbeing of the citizen.
He further added that the 2024 budget included the rollover of some projects with completion period exceeding the 2023 fiscal year to ensure 100 per cent execution.
Giving the breakdown of the budget proposal, Agbasi said that out of a total of N77,390,766,140 of the budget allocation, N4,081,099,533 was for personnel while overhead got N22,027,209,696.
Recurrent got N26,108,309,229 while Capital which is meant for the maintenance of all the over 36,000km of federal roads got N51,282,456,911 only.