A group, Concerned Northern Forum, asked Nigerians, especially the northern elite, to support the minister of works, Engr. Dave Umahi, and President Bola Ahmed Tinubu to achieve the ambitious Renewed Hope Agenda.
The appeal came against the backdrop of the legacy projects fever, which has gripped the country with insinuations in some quarters hinting at exclusion.
Reacting to a motion on the floor of the Senate by the former governor of Gombe State and the senator representing Gombe Central, Danjuma Goje, alleging that the North East had been excluded from the Renewed Hope Road projects across the country.
In a press release signed yesterday by its spokesman, Comrade Abdulsalam Moh’d Kazeem, the group empathised with Goje and others who share his sentiments but maintained that it is too early to complain as the administration is just one year in office and has many projects on the drawing board.
Kazeem said, “As northerners, we identify and applaud Senator Goje for his impeccable representation. We are,, however, constrained to point out that it is too early to complain, as it is unrealistic to flood the entire country with projects all at once in order not to overwhelm the Ministry of Works in its oversight functions.
“Aside from that, major legacy projects are ongoing in the northern region such as the Badagry-Sokoto Superhighway connecting the North West and the Kaduna-Abuja section of the Abuja-Kano-Maiduguri redesigned dual carriageway and many others. Plans are underway to mobilise contractors to the site on some parts of the Kano-Maidguri section of the road. It’s just a matter of time”.
The group, therefore, called on Goje and other agitators to support the president and the Umahi in delivering on the Renewed Hope Agenda. It added that the projects are in phases and that no region will be excluded, as the Renewed Hope Agenda is a detailed and pragmatic blueprint for Nigeria’s overall development.
“As core nationalists, there’s no way the minister of works or Mr. President will exclude the North East from his legacy projects, moreso that it is the home of Nigeria’s most trusted and loyal Vice President, Senator Kashim Shettima. We must understand that these projects are in phases, and they’ll get to every region in no distant time, as the goal is to develop the whole nation holistically.
“Even without the motion raised by Senator Danjuma Goje, the Federal Ministry of Works has been auditing previous road contracts, and plans are on the way to commence work on the Akwanga-Jos-Adamawa Road project that was awarded by the former administration of President Muhammadu Buhari in the spirit of continuity of governance.
“As a progressive government that listens to the yearnings of Nigerians, the Calabar-Makurdi-Jalingo-Yola-Maiduguri Highway, as suggested by the senator, will be given the desired attention at the right time. All that’s needed at the moment is patience and unwavering support for Mr. President’s policies and projects,” the group said.