Initiate special priority projects for North-East, Ndume urges FG

Former Senate Leader, Ali Ndume, has urged the Federal Government to initiate Special Priority Projects in the North-East region of the country, to address crippling social infrastructural challenges facing the zone.

The Senator representing Borno South made the appeal in a statement he personally signed and issued to newsmen in Abuja on Friday.

His suggestion was on the heels of Wednesday’s visit to President Bola Ahmed Tinubu by the six governors in the region.

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Special Presidential Priority Projects are national infrastructure initiatives, distinct from routine operations, that demand dedicated focus and resources due to their strategic importance or urgent need for completion.

At the meeting held at the Presidential Villa, Borno State Governor, Professor Babagana Zulum, who incidentally is the Chairman of the North East Governors Forum, listed 17 vital road projects neglected for decades, seeking
urgent attention.

The roads included the Kano-Maiduguri Road, Port Harcourt-Jos-Bauchi-Maiduguri Railway line, Bama-Mubi-Yola Road, Wukari-Jalingo-Yola Road, Duguri-Mansur Road (NNPC Project Ongoing), Bauchi-Gombe-Biu-Damaturu Road, Damaturu-Geidam Road, Bauchi-Ningi-Nasaru-Babaldo Road, and Gombe-Potiskum, Damaturu-Biu Roads.

Others were Alkaleri-Futuk Road, Maiduguri-Damboa-Yola Road, Gombe-Dukku-Darazo Road, Biu-Gombe Road, Ibi-Shamdam Road, Maiduguri-Monguno-Baga Road, and Maiduguri-Ngala-Bama-Banki Roads.

The Governors also requested the resumption of oil exploration in the frontier wells, particularly the Kolmani and Lake Chad wells.

The Senator representing Borno South, who commended the North-East Governors Forum for their bold move, declared that the region deserved such attention as he noted that infrastructures in the six states in the North-East region have been left comatose for over 15 years, occasioned by security challenges created by the menace of the insurgents.

The lawmaker pleaded with President Bola Ahmed Tinubu to accommodate the needs of the region in the 2025 Supplementary Budget and 2026 Budget proposal.

He said: “Fifteen years down the line, there hasn’t been any meaningful infrastructural development in the North East as it has been ravaged by the insurgents.

“In view of this, I suggest that the present administration should give priority to the region and make provision for its urgent infrastructural needs in the 2025 Supplementary Budget.

“Now that insurgents have receded as a results of efforts by our military who have regained lost grounds, contractors can now move to sites.”

He further admonished the North-East Governors not to relent in promoting concrete initiatives that would make life better and meaningful to the citizens in the region.