ABUJA, Nigeria (VOICE OF NAIJA)- The Federal Government has released about N2.68tn for the construction, rehabilitation and maintenance of roads and bridges nationwide between 2023 and April 2026, according to data obtained from the Open Treasury Portal.
The figures, however, reveal a wide gap between approved budgets and actual disbursements, with total allocations for road-related projects reaching N54.93tn within the period under review.
The data underscore the government’s growing focus on infrastructure development while highlighting the financing challenges that continue to affect the execution of capital projects across the country.
The development comes amid the ongoing Renewed Hope Media Tour organised by the Presidential Communications Team to showcase projects being implemented under President Bola Tinubu’s Renewed Hope Agenda.
Treasury records show that road projects received a total budgetary allocation of N2.53tn in 2023, out of which N631.51bn was released, representing an implementation rate of 24.95 per cent.
The records did not specify the individual road projects that received the funds and did not indicate whether any of the government’s four legacy highway projects were included in the expenditure.
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A breakdown of the 2023 spending showed that road construction projects received N280.14bn from an allocation of N1.09tn, while rehabilitation and repair works attracted N345.93bn from a budget of N1.42tn.
Road and bridge maintenance projects received N5.44bn from a total allocation of N14.68bn.
In 2024, budgetary provisions for road-related projects rose significantly to N9.39tn. However, actual releases stood at N784.60bn, representing 8.36 per cent of the approved amount.
Road construction projects accounted for N383.74bn of the releases from an allocation of N5.05tn, while rehabilitation projects received N384.49bn from a budget of N4.32tn.
The government also released N16.37bn for road and bridge maintenance from an allocation of N18.18bn.
The trend persisted in 2025, when N7.22tn was budgeted for road construction and rehabilitation projects.
Treasury data showed that N670.68bn had been released, translating to an implementation rate of 9.29 per cent.
Of that amount, road construction projects received N269.75bn from a budget of N3.42tn, while rehabilitation and repair projects attracted N400.94bn from an allocation of N3.80tn.
The 2026 figures point to a sharp increase in budgetary provisions.
As of April 2026, the government had allocated N35.79tn for road construction, rehabilitation and maintenance projects, the highest annual provision within the four-year period.
Despite this, only N597.08bn had been released, representing 1.67 per cent of the approved budget.
Road construction projects had an allocation of N23.61tn, with releases amounting to N293.06bn.
Similarly, rehabilitation and repair projects received N300.80bn from a total allocation of N12.03tn.
Road and bridge maintenance projects were allocated N144.64bn, but only N3.22bn had been released as of the end of April.
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Treasury records further show that N26.54bn was released in April alone, leaving an outstanding budget balance of N23.32tn yet to be funded.
The figures indicate that while substantial sums have been earmarked for road infrastructure over the years, actual cash releases remain considerably lower than approved allocations, reflecting the funding constraints that frequently affect capital project implementation.
Further analysis showed that road construction consistently attracted the largest share of allocations.
Budgetary provisions increased from N1.09tn in 2023 to N23.61tn in 2026, reflecting the Federal Government’s growing emphasis on large-scale highway projects.
Road rehabilitation also maintained a significant share of funding, with allocations rising from N1.42tn in 2023 to N12.03tn in 2026, signalling continued efforts to upgrade existing infrastructure.
Although maintenance projects received the smallest allocations, they recorded the highest implementation rate.
In 2024, road and bridge maintenance achieved a 90.05 per cent execution rate, compared with less than 10 per cent for construction and rehabilitation projects.
Overall, the Federal Government allocated N54.93tn for road-related projects between 2023 and April 2026 but released only N2.68tn during the same period.
The data also show that while budgetary provisions expanded significantly over the years, the proportion of funds released continued to decline.
About 25 per cent of the approved budget was released in 2023, falling to 8.36 per cent in 2024 and 9.29 per cent in 2025.
As of April 2026, only 1.67 per cent of the total approved allocation had been released, even as the government continues to position infrastructure development as a key driver of economic growth.
Several major road projects are currently under construction across the country, including the Lagos-Calabar Coastal Highway, the Abuja-Kaduna-Zaria-Kano Road, the Sokoto-Badagry Super Highway and other strategic federal highways aimed at improving connectivity and boosting economic activities across Nigeria’s six geopolitical zones.
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The Minister of Works, David Umahi, recently disclosed that the Federal Ministry of Works would prioritise the completion of major highways and the execution of four presidential legacy projects in its 2026 capital plan.
According to the minister, the ministry inherited more than 2,000 ongoing projects in 2023, many of which have been carried over into subsequent budgets due to funding limitations.
Umahi also informed lawmakers during the defence of the ministry’s 2026 budget proposal that the Federal Government owed contractors about N2.2tn for certified works executed between 2024 and 2025, highlighting the financing challenges confronting the road sector despite increasing budgetary allocations.
He added that only a fraction of expected capital releases had been received, forcing the ministry to re-scope and prioritise projects.
The Open Treasury Portal, which tracks government revenues and expenditures, offers insight into how much of approved capital budgets has translated into actual spending.
While the latest figures indicate an unprecedented expansion in planned road infrastructure spending, analysts say the key challenge remains ensuring that budgetary commitments are matched with timely fund releases to deliver the expected benefits to Nigerians.