The Minister of Works, Dave Umahi, has expressed concerns over the N800bn allocated to his ministry in the 2025 budget proposal, describing it as insufficient to address the country’s pressing road infrastructure challenges.
Umahi, who previously served as the two-term governor of Ebonyi State, made the statement during the ministry’s budget defense session on Friday before the House Committee on Works. He appealed to the committee for a review of the budget allocation, stressing that the proposed funds would not suffice to meet Nigeria’s extensive road repair and construction needs.
“We plead with you to help us. N800bn cannot do anything for us. It cannot address our road needs, and so we plead with you to help us,” Umahi said, highlighting the urgency of securing additional funding to complete ongoing projects and initiate new ones across the nation.
The minister emphasized that the ministry’s scope of work far exceeds the resources available in the proposed budget, urging the committee to consider increasing the allocation for more substantial progress. He also recommended borrowing funds to address the nation’s infrastructure deficit, stating that doing so could help lift Nigeria out of its economic struggles.
“When the nation is in recession, you have to borrow money and invest in infrastructure. That is how you come out of a recession. Infrastructure drives economic activities, and when we develop our roads, it will have a ripple effect on other sectors. The hunger we talk about will eventually subside when people are able to work and thrive,” Umahi explained.
In response, Akin Alabi, the chairman of the House Committee on Works, assured that the committee would engage with the Minister of Finance and the Head of the Budget Office to better understand the justification for the relatively low budget allocation for the Ministry of Works.
