Ndume Calls on Tinubu to Focus on North-East Projects in Supplementary Budget

Former Senate Leader, Ali Ndume, on Friday called on President Bola Tinubu to initiate special priority projects for the North-East region in the 2025 supplementary budget.

Ndume, representing Borno South, stressed that the North-East risks being left behind if urgent infrastructure needs are not addressed.

“Fifteen years down the line, there hasn’t been meaningful infrastructural development in the North-East, which has been ravaged by insurgency. The current administration should prioritise the region and provide for urgent infrastructure in the 2025 Supplementary Budget,” he said.

Ndume noted that with insurgents now largely pushed back by military efforts, contractors can safely access project sites.

His call followed a recent visit by the six governors of the North-East to the Presidential Villa in Abuja.

The governors, led by Borno State Governor Babagana Zulum, presented a long list of abandoned federal road projects in the region. Some of the neglected projects include the Kano-Maiduguri Road, Port Harcourt-Jos-Bauchi-Maiduguri Railway line, Bama-Mubi-Yola Road, Wukari-Jalingo-Yola Road, Bauchi-Gombe-Biu-Damaturu Road, and the Maiduguri-Monguno-Baga Road, among others.

Ndume praised the governors for their advocacy but lamented that basic infrastructure in the six North-East states has been near collapse for over 15 years due to the Boko Haram insurgency and related security challenges.

He further urged the governors to continue applying pressure on the Federal Government and to design people-focused policies aimed at improving the quality of life for residents in the North-East.