The apex Igbo socio-cultural organisation, Ohanaeze Ndigbo, has said states in the northern part of Nigeria are significant beneficiaries of the President Bola Tinubu’s road projects nationwide.
In response to Muhammad Jamil’s (Jadda Garko) claims that the Minister of Works, Senator Dave Umahi, is guilty of inequity in allocating road and bridge projects, Ohanaeze said the assertion contradicts what is on the ground.
In a statement issued on Sunday by its Secretary-General, Mazi Okechukwu Isiguzoro, the Ohanaeze Ndigbo said the insinuations of lop-sidedness in the execution of road projects are not only baseless but also part of a broader effort by specific opposition figures to create discord and distract the Minister from his critical responsibilities.
H said, “In a concerted effort to uphold the integrity of the ongoing infrastructural initiatives within Nigeria, Ohanaeze Ndigbo finds it imperative to respond decisively to the unfounded allegations made by one Muhammad Jamil, also known as Jadda Garko.
“It is incumbent upon us to articulate that the Northern region is not merely a beneficiary but, indeed, the largest beneficiary of President Tinubu’s infrastructural initiatives, receiving a more significant share of road and bridge projects than the Southern region.
“Our assertion is grounded in verified empirical data, refuting the claims of disparity that dissenting parties have irresponsibly propagated. The rhetoric of inequity has no place amidst the facts illuminating the government’s commitment to equitable distribution of resources and services.
“Recent data illustrates the breadth of progress under Senator Umahi’s leadership, with 2,735 kilometres of road projects actively under construction. Of these, a substantial 1,414 kilometres, representing 52% are allocated to the Northern region, as opposed to 1,321 kilometres (48%) designated for the Southern region.
“Such discernible and quantifiable distribution is a testament to a dispassionate assessment of the nation’s infrastructural demands and priorities, favouring no region over another”.
“Moreover, we must highlight that the financing and distribution of these projects are managed through recognized and verified funding mechanisms, which include the Federal Budgetary Provisions, the Renewed Hope Infrastructural Fund, Sukuk, and the Tax Credit Scheme.
“On Sukuk-funded projects: Out of 82 ongoing projects, the Northern region has been granted 45, while the Southern region has 37. On emergency road projects: Among the 260 emergency projects, 108 are situated in the Southern region, contrasting with 98 in the Northern region.
“On the road tax credit scheme, the distribution further confirms 23 projects for the Northern region versus 21 for the South”.
He said the transparency and accountability instituted by Umahi within the Ministry of Works cannot be overstated.
Isiguzoro asserted the organisation’s belief in Umahi as a diligent manager and a statesman of integrity, placing Nigerians’ collective aspirations above individual or partisan interests.
