Northern Elders Forum Faults Tinubu’s Exclusion of North East In Infrastructure Funding
…… tasks Northern lawmakers, governors, ministers to reject any federal budget or policy framework that does not ensure balanced and inclusive infrastructure development
The Northern Elders Forum (NEF) has criticised President Bola Tinubu for excluding the whole of the North East from the recent approval of funding for critical infrastructure.
The forum said that allocation of the funds was not only skewed to the southern part of the country, but also completely very critical road and rail projects in the Northern region.
The NEF, in a statement by its National Publicity Secretary, Professor Abubakar Jika Jiddere, expressed dismay over the lopsidedness in the allocation of the 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 (₦252 billion) and the Wusasa–Jos Road (₦18 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 NEF listed the allocations to the south to include, Lagos–Calabar Coastal Highway – ₦1.344 trillion; Delta State section of Lagos–Calabar Coastal Highway – ₦470.9 billion; Second Niger Bridge (completion) – ₦148 billion; Lagos–Ibadan Expressway (Phase 2) – ₦195 billion, Lokoja–Benin Road – ₦305 billion; Third Mainland Bridge (Lagos – structural evaluation) – ₦3.571 billion; Ado–Ikere–Igede Road (South West) – ₦5.4 billion; and Onitsha–Owerri Expressway – ₦22 billion.
“It is important to note that some of these projects, like the Lokoja–Benin Road, often listed as a Northern project, merely passes through Lokoja, which is being utilized as a logistical corridor to the South.
“This shows how the North’s geography is exploited to facilitate Southern trade and transport, with no corresponding developmental investments in the Northern region itself.”
The Forum pointed out the critical roads infrastructure in the North East, which has been devastated by terrorism and chronic underdevelopment, yet “entirely excluded from these high-value federal road projects.
“Critically deteriorated highways that demand immediate attention include: Jalingo–Numan–Yola–Bama; Bauchi–Gombe Road; Gombe–Maiduguri through Biu, Gombi, Mubi, Madagali, and Gwoza; and Damaturu–Gashua–Gaidam–Damasak–Gubio.
“The major high-way linking Nasarawa-Benue Taraba – Adamawa, and Borno State.
“In North Central and North West, essential roads such as Birnin Gwari–Ilorin, Minna–Bida, Kaduna–Jos via Saminaka, and Kaduna–Minna via Sarkin Pawa continue to deteriorate after decades of federal neglect.”
The Northern Elders Forum also chided the government for ignoring critical rail lines such as the eastern rail line linking Port Harcourt–Enugu– Makurdi–Lafia–Jos–Bauchi–Gombe– Maiduguri.
“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 modernization of the Northern rail lines despite their vast geographic and economic importance.”
It questioned the stark disparity in the railway development, saying the Nigerian Railway Corporation (NRC) has allowed the Northern rail network to deteriorate to a state of near-total collapse.
“Why are recent railway expansions concentrated almost entirely in the South, with little or no inclusion of the long-neglected Northern lines?
“When will the critical Port Harcourt–Maiduguri Eastern Rail Line be restored and upgraded to serve the millions of citizens and industries across the North East and North Central?”
It said that it has become incumbent upon the NRC and the Ministry of Transportation to provide a clear and transparent explanation for the neglect, and to present a comprehensive plan for rail rehabilitation and expansion that includes the Northern rail corridors as a national priority.
The Call for Justice and Equity
“The North contributes significantly to Nigeria’s economy through agriculture, mining, livestock, and transnational trade. It hosts the largest population, widest territory, and the greatest number of local governments, yet it is systematically excluded from national development initiatives.
“This exclusion is not only an infrastructural failure, it is a national threat. It risks deepening inequality, inflaming regional tensions, and undermining the very unity of the Republic,” the NEF added.
It demanded the immediate inclusion of North East road and railway infrastructure in the national development portfolio.
“A public explanation from both the Federal Ministry of Works and the Nigerian Railway Corporation (NRC) regarding the gross disparities in regional infrastructure allocations.
“A binding commitment from Northern lawmakers, governors, and ministers to reject any federal budget or policy framework that does not ensure balanced and inclusive infrastructure development.”
“This is a defining moment for Nigeria’s leadership. The choice is clear: equity or exclusion, unity or fracture. If Nigeria is to endure as one nation, no region, especially not the North, can be treated as expendable,” the NEF warned.
