The Federal Government has released about N2.68 trillion for the construction, rehabilitation and maintenance of roads and bridges across the country between 2023 and April 2026, findings by The PUNCH from the Open Treasury Portal have shown.
The analysis, however, revealed a significant disparity between approved budgets and actual releases, with the government making provisions totalling N54.93 trillion for road-related projects within the period under review.
The figures highlight both the growing emphasis on infrastructure development and the persistent financing constraints that continue to affect capital project execution in the country.
The development also comes amid the ongoing Renewed Hope Media Tour organised by the Presidential Communications Team, designed to showcase projects being implemented under President Bola Tinubu’s Renewed Hope Agenda.
Data obtained from the Open Treasury Portal on Tuesday showed that road projects attracted a combined budgetary allocation of N2.53 trillion in 2023, out of which N631.51 billion was released, representing an implementation rate of 24.95 per cent.
The Treasury data, however, did not specify the road projects to which the funds were released and did not indicate whether the government’s four legacy highway projects formed part of the expenditure.
A year-by-year breakdown showed that road construction projects received N280.14 billion from a budget of N1.09tn during the year, while rehabilitation and repair works attracted N345.93 billion from an allocation of N1.42 trillion. Road and bridge maintenance projects also received N5.44 billion out of a total provision of N14.68 billion.
In 2024, the Federal Government increased its budgetary commitment to the sector, making provisions amounting to N9.39 trillion for road-related projects. However, actual releases stood at N784.60 billion, representing 8.36 per cent of the approved amount.
Road construction projects accounted for N383.74 billion of the spending from an allocation of N5.05 trillion, while rehabilitation projects received N384.49 billion from a budget of N4.32 trillion. The government also released N16.37 billion for the maintenance of roads and bridges out of a total provision of N18.18 billion.
The trend continued in 2025, with the government budgeting N7.22 trillion for road construction and rehabilitation projects. Treasury records showed that N670.68 billion had been released during the period, translating to an implementation rate of 9.29 per cent.
Of the amount released, road construction projects received N269.75 billion from an allocation of N3.42 trillion, while rehabilitation and repair projects attracted N400.94bn from a budget of N3.80 trillion.
The 2026 figures indicate a sharp rise in budgetary provisions. As of April 2026, the government had earmarked N35.79 trillion for road construction, rehabilitation and maintenance projects, the highest within the four-year period.
Only N597.08 billion had been released, representing 1.67 per cent of the approved budget. Specifically, road construction projects had a budgetary provision of N23.61 trillion, with releases amounting to N293.06 billion.
Similarly, rehabilitation and repair projects received N300.80 billion from a total allocation of N12.03 trillion. Road and bridge maintenance projects had an allocation of N144.64 billion, but only N3.22 billion had been released as of the end of April. Treasury records show that N26.54 billion was released in April alone, leaving an outstanding budget balance of N23.32 trillion yet to be funded.
The data indicate that although substantial sums have been earmarked for road projects over the years, actual cash releases remain significantly lower than approved allocations, reflecting the financing constraints that often affect capital project implementation.
Further analysis showed that road construction consistently attracted the largest allocations. Budgetary provisions rose from N1.09 trillion in 2023 to N23.61 trillion in 2026, reflecting the Federal Government’s increasing focus on large-scale highway projects.
