Minister of Works, Umahi, Expresses Frustration Over Insufficient Road Repair Funds
David Umahi, Nigeria’s Minister of Works, expressed his deep frustration over the ongoing struggle to repair the country’s dilapidated road network, citing a severe lack of funds to address the vast infrastructure needs. His remarks came on Friday during a session with the Senate Committee on Works, where he appeared to defend his ministry’s budget allocation for the upcoming year.
Umahi revealed that the cost of road repairs has surged significantly compared to previous years, making it even more challenging to make progress with the limited resources at hand. He candidly admitted, “I have not failed in many of my life engagements, but I am feeling frustrated with fixing roads in Nigeria with funds that are not in any way tangible for what is required.”
The minister pointed out that the current administration inherited a staggering 2,064 road projects worth N13 trillion from the previous government. However, when factoring in current market conditions, the cost of these projects has now ballooned to nearly N18 trillion. “The president, an economist with vast experience, understands the gravity of this challenge and is actively seeking to secure loans to fund these critical projects,” Umahi explained.
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Umahi emphasized the importance of road repairs not only for improving the nation’s infrastructure but also as key drivers of economic growth. “The roads, when fixed, are catalysts to economic growth. They also eliminate hunger because road infrastructure activities create a lot of economic activities,” he said.
The former governor of Ebonyi also stressed that repairing the nation’s roads cannot be accomplished through annual budgetary allocations alone. “More attention must be given to this infrastructure,” he argued, urging the government to consider alternative funding mechanisms to meet the growing demand for road repairs.
Some senators echoed Umahi’s concerns, agreeing that the N827 billion allocated to the Ministry of Works for the 2025 fiscal year is inadequate to address the scale of the task at hand.
