The Trade Union Congress of Nigeria (TUC) says the country would require an estimated $120 billion to construct its federal road network a figure nearly four times the size of its annual budget.

TUC President-General, Festus Osifo, speaking on Monday at the second edition of the TUC South-West Summit 2025 in Lagos, cited a 2013 study placing the cost of building all federal roads at $120bn. He noted that with Nigeria’s annual budget of between $30bn and $35bn already stretched across salaries, education, healthcare, and defence, funding such infrastructure remains a daunting task.

“If constructing all our roads will cost $120bn, and the size of our budget is $30bn, it means we need four times our budget just to fix roads, without paying salaries, funding education, or providing healthcare,” Osifo said. He stressed the need to expand revenue sources beyond oil, describing much of the country’s political leadership as lacking vision and innovation.

Osifo accused successive governments of neglecting opportunities in agriculture and solid minerals, while contrasting Nigeria’s performance with smaller nations that earn more from farming than Nigeria does from oil exports.

Representing Lagos State Governor Babajide Sanwo-Olu, Commissioner for Establishments and Training, Afolabi Ayantayo, backed the call for stronger government–labour collaboration and urged better utilisation of Nigeria’s diplomatic missions to secure export markets.

The summit, themed Collaborate to Transform: Building Capacity for Regional Excellence and Workers’ Welfare, brought together labour leaders, policymakers, and private sector experts to discuss strategies for economic growth, with sessions on agriculture, leadership, communication, emotional intelligence, and artificial intelligence in the workplace.

Osifo warned that without bold, innovative leadership, Nigeria would remain trapped in a cycle of underfunded infrastructure, poor economic diversification, and wasted opportunities.