Exclusion of North from infrastructure funding unacceptable — NEF

Northern Elders Forum has told the Tinubu-led administration that it is unacceptable to exclude northern Nigeria from critical infrastructural development like roads and railway funding. In a statement tagged ‘Northern Nigeria’s Exclusion from Critical Road and Rail Infrastructure Funding: A National Failure Demanding Immediate Redress’ and signed by the Spokesperson of NEF, Prof. Abubakar Jika […]

Northern Elders Forum has told the Tinubu-led administration that it is unacceptable to exclude northern Nigeria from critical infrastructural development like roads and railway funding.

In a statement tagged ‘Northern Nigeria’s Exclusion from Critical Road and Rail Infrastructure Funding: A National Failure Demanding Immediate Redress’ and signed by the Spokesperson of NEF, Prof. Abubakar Jika Jiddere, the forum described the federal government’s recently approved allocation of funds for some road projects in the country as “lopsidedness in the allocation of funds to the disadvantage of the North.”

Jiddere queried the federal government over the recent pattern of capital investment which, it added, reveals a troubling regional imbalance that heavily favours southern Nigeria, while ignoring the urgent infrastructure needs of the North.

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He said: “The Federal Government of Nigeria (FGN) has recently approved the allocation of funds for some road projects in the country. The Northern Elders Forum (NEF) has observed with dismay the lopsidedness in the allocation of funds to the disadvantage of the North generally and the North East in particular.

“This amounts to the systematic exclusion of Northern Nigeria in the allocation of federal infrastructure funding, particularly in road and railway development and the NEF is gravely concerned about it.

“The recent pattern of capital investment reveals a troubling regional imbalance that heavily favours Southern Nigeria, while ignoring the urgent infrastructure needs of the North, especially the North East, which remains the most fragile and underserved part of the country.

“While the government points to projects such as the Abuja–Kano Expressway (N252 billion) and the Wusasa–Jos Road (N18 billion) in the North Central and North West as evidence of inclusion, these are insufficient and largely tokenistic when compared to the massive allocations directed to Southern States.

“The following are just a few examples of the regional disparity in current federal infrastructure allocations: Lagos–Calabar Coastal Highway – N1.344 trillion.

“Delta State section of Lagos–Calabar Coastal Highway – N470.9 billion; Second Niger Bridge (completion) – N148 billion; Lagos–Ibadan Expressway (Phase 2) – N195 billion; Lokoja–Benin Road – N305 billion; Third Mainland Bridge (Lagos – structural evaluation) – N3.571 billion; Ado–Ikere–Igede Road (South West) – N5.4 billion; Onitsha–Owerri Expressway – N22 billion; Abuja–Kano Expressway (North) – N252 billion; and Wusasa–Jos Road (North) – N18 billion.”

The NEF also stated that the federal government has side-lined the North from railway infrastructure. It said: “Equally disturbing is the deteriorating state of Nigeria’s railway infrastructure, particularly in the Northern region.

“Most notably, the eastern rail line extending to Maiduguri (North East) a route linking Port Harcourt–Enugu– Makurdi–Lafia–Jos–Bauchi–Gombe– Maiduguri, has remained inactive for over a decade, with operations effectively halted for 10 -15 years. This line once served as a vital economic artery for cargo and passenger movement across the Northern corridor.

 

“While the Federal Government has recently initiated or completed modern rail projects predominantly in the South, such as the Lagos–Ibadan standard gauge, the Warri–Itakpe line, and plans for the Lagos–Calabar Coastal Rail, there has been no corresponding rehabilitation or modernisation of the Northern rail lines despite their vast geographic and economic importance.

 

“This stark disparity in railway development raises an urgent question: Why has the Nigerian Railway Corporation (NRC) allowed the Northern rail network to deteriorate to a state of near-total collapse?”

 

NEF further stated that if Nigeria is to endure as one nation, no region, especially not the North, should be treated as expendable.