Nigeria needs N400bn annually for road maintenance — Senate c’ttee

The Senate says N400bn is required on yearly basis for the maintenance of federal roads in the country.

It said the N38bn earmarked in the 2021 budget proposal for maintenance of over 35,000 kilometers of federal roads across the country was too meagre for any serious road repair work.

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Chairman, Senate Committee on Federal Roads Maintenance Agency, Senator Gersom Bassey, told newsmen that road maintenance could only be effectively carried out with roughly about N400 billion on yearly basis.

He spoke after submitting the agency’s 2021 budget proposal to the Senate Committee on Appropriation on Friday.

“What the committee has just submitted to the Appropriation committee for such exercise in 2021 fiscal year is the N38billion proposed for it by the executive, which cannot cover up to one quarter of the entire length of deplorable roads in the country.

“Unfortunately, despite having the power of appropriation, we cannot, as a committee, jerk up the sum since we are not in a position to carry out the estimation of work to be done on each of the specific portion of the road.”