Daily Trust columnist berates Niger governors over abandoned projects

A member of the Editorial Board of Daily Trust Newspapers, Professor Muhammad Umar Ndagi, has criticised the abandonment of developmental projects by successive governments in Niger State.  Ndagi, who is the Dean of the Faculty of Arts, University of Abuja, said the abandonment was due to the past and current governments’ regionalism and lack of […]

A member of the Editorial Board of Daily Trust Newspapers, Professor Muhammad Umar Ndagi, has criticised the abandonment of developmental projects by successive governments in Niger State.

 Ndagi, who is the Dean of the Faculty of Arts, University of Abuja, said the abandonment was due to the past and current governments’ regionalism and lack of agenda for the development of the state. 

He stated this while delivering a memorial lecture tagged, ‘Building an all-inclusive state for the prosperity of all” in honour of the late vice chancellor of the Federal University of Technology, Minna, Professor Muhammad A. Daniyan, organised by the Ena Eyelo Foundation (Nupe People’s Socioeconomic Development Association) held at the Etsu Yahaya Abubakar Lecture Theatre, Niger State College of Education, Minna. 

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He said most local government chairmen in the state had relocated to the state capital, abandoning their areas to traditional rulers who have no constitutional power or resources to implement any development programmes.

He also said the challenge of the state was the incessant felling of economic trees, especially shea nut trees because of the failure of the government to utilise state resources for development.

“One lamentable practice that has become characteristic of some governors is their refusal to complete development projects left by their predecessors, a factor that plausibly explains why dozens of abandoned projects litter parts of the state,” he said.

Earlier, the chairman of the Ena Eyelo Foundation, Dr Jonathan Jiya, said it was formed by some Nupe citizens, including the late Professor Muhammad Daniyan, to create equitable opportunities for women and youths who lack access to resources to develop their potentials.