An analysis of data from the Open Treasury Portal has revealed a massive disparity between approved capital allocations and actual cash releases for Nigeria’s road sector.
Between 2023 and April 2026, the Federal Government earmarked a total of ₦54.93 trillion for the construction, rehabilitation, and maintenance of roads and bridges, but disbursed just ₦2.68 trillion roughly 4.88% of the projected funding.
The persistent funding bottlenecks come amidst a broad infrastructure push by the current administration, which includes legacy projects like the Lagos-Calabar Coastal Highway, the Sokoto-Badagry Super Highway, and the Abuja-Kano Road.
A year-by-year breakdown illustrates a steady decline in the implementation rate of the road budget as allocations artificially expanded:
2023: ₦631.51 billion was released out of a ₦2.53 trillion budget (24.95% implementation).
2024: ₦784.60 billion was released from an increased ₦9.39 trillion budget (8.36% implementation).
2025: ₦670.68 billion was released out of a ₦7.22 trillion budget (9.29% implementation).
2026 (As of April): Earmarked funds surged to an unprecedented ₦35.79 trillion, but actual releases amounted to just ₦597.08 billion, a mere 1.67% execution rate.
While large-scale highway construction and rehabilitation consistently received the largest budgetary provisions, routine maintenance projects received the smallest allocations but achieved the highest relative execution rates, peaking at over 90% in 2024.
Minister of Works David Umahi recently addressed the National Assembly regarding the funding crisis, revealing that the ministry inherited over 2,000 ongoing projects rolled over due to fiscal constraints. Furthermore, the government currently owes contractors approximately ₦2.2 trillion for certified works completed between 2024 and 2025. Financial analysts note that while the multi-trillion naira commitments signal a strong policy focus on infrastructural growth, the lack of timely cash backings threatens to stall major economic pathways.
