The North-East geopolitical zone has drawn the attention of President Bola Tinubu to being excluded from his administration’s Renewed Hope Legacy Road Infrastructure Projects, urging the President to include the zone in the projects.

Sen. Danjuma Goje (Gombe-Central), moving a motion of urgent public importance on the floor of the Senate on Wednesday, observed that while the other zones of the country had been incorporated in the projects, only the North-East was not captured.

He told the Senate, “These landmark projects, which are made up of the Sokoto – Badagry Superhighway (SBS), connecting Sokoto (North-West) to Badagri (South-West); Lagos – Calabar Costal Highway (LCCH) (South-South); and Calabar – Ebonyi – Benue – Kogi – Nasarawa – Abuja Superhighway (South-East and North-Central, respectively), were designed in line with the current administration’s commitment towards actualising the vision of making Nigeria the largest economy in Africa. However, the North-East is the only zone not included in these laudable projects.”

He said the zone acknowledged the fact that the renewed hope developmental agenda Tinubu was a “bold initiative” which would inter-connect the country and bring about socio-economic growth as well as foster national unity and integration upon completion.

The motion reads further, “The Senate is aware that the legacy projects, as shown on its map, designed by the Federal Ministry of Works, excluded the North-East Geo-political zone from the whole equation, and this has stimulated unprecedented concerns and agitations from the region in view of the strategic roles these projects will play in this country, hence the need to include the North-East in the projects.

“Also aware that the non-inclusion of the North-East in the projects, which includes: Adamawa, Bauchi, Borno Gombe, Taraba, and Yobe, has raised a myriad of concerns about unequal development and potential marginalisation of the region, which will further worsen the infrastructural challenges of the region.

“Concerned that the security situation of the region has been further exacerbated due to lack of adequate road infrastructure networks that make it to be susceptible and exposed to all manner of security challenges, ranging from insurgency, banditry, amongst others; and

“Also concerned that the non-inclusion of the region will not augur well for the socio-economic development of this country as the economic viability and opportunities that abound in the region will not be fully tapped to the maximum benefit of the country,” he added.

While commending Tinubu for the landmark initiatives, the Senate resolution appealed to the administration, “through the Federal Ministry of Works to further expand the projects to include the Calabar-Makurdi-Jalingo-Yola-Maiduguri Highway, which will integrate the North-East into the Legacy Infrastructure Road Projects of Nigeria.” (Nigerian Tribune)

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