Why we have substandard roads in Nigeria – FERMA

The Federal Roads Maintenance Agency, FERMA, has said that both major and minor road networks in Nigeria suffer from deterioration due to lack of adequate maintenance funding allocated during budgeting for such roads.

The Managing Director of FERMA, Chukwuma Agbasi, disclosed this on Wednesday in Abuja at the Bureau of Public Service Reforms, BPSR, seminar titled ‘Road Infrastructure: Plans and Priorities of FERMA viz-a-viz the President’s Renewed Hope Agenda’.

“The failure of road networks in Nigeria has many reasons and one of them is lack of provision for maintenance of the roads. Not paying attention to the maintenance of the roads leads to their failure,” he said.

He also explained that the backlog of maintenance tasks presents a significant challenge, adversely affecting the overall condition of roads throughout the country.

Agbasi stressed the urgent need to address the aging road surfaces nationwide to prevent further deterioration, noting that unpredictable weather patterns, exacerbated by climate change, contribute to unexpected road damage.

According to him, improper use of road infrastructure, such as dumping refuse, uncontrolled parking, and spills of petroleum products, accelerates wear and tear.

While noting that vehicles exceeding the specified weight limit of 11 tonnes in Nigeria also impose stress on the road, the FERMA’s boss said efforts were underway to improve the agency’s operational funding and develop collaborative relationships with international road agencies.