The North East Governors’ Forum has expressed concern over the seeming neglect of the region in the allocation of Federal Government capital projects. This was contained in a communique issued at the end of the 10th meeting of the forum held in Bauchi.
According to the communique, despite repeated calls for attention to the poor state of infrastructure in the region, especially the deplorable condition of roads and railways along economic corridors, nothing significant has been done. The forum noted that the roads from Enugu to Maiduguri are in a deplorable state, and the railway from Enugu to Maiduguri has been destroyed.
The forum called on the Federal Government to reconstruct the basic infrastructure along the Enugu-Maiduguri Economic Corridor and include the North East in all national development plans and initiatives.
Additionally, the forum expressed concern over the blackout experienced by the region due to a lack of electricity over the past month and the nonchalant attitude of the Transmission Company of Nigeria (TCN) in addressing the issue. The forum urged the Federal Government to direct TCN to take immediate action to restore power to all states in the region by May 27, 2024.
In the short term, the forum resolved to set up a solar power plant to generate a minimum of 10 megawatts per state. The forum also called on the Minister of Power and the Federal Government to implement the extension of the 330KV transmission line from Makurdi-Gassol-Jalingo linking to Adamawa-Gombe-Bauchi and the extension of the 330KV line from Kano-Bauchi-Yobe linking to Borno.
The forum noted that climate change and environmental degradation remain a reality in the region and called for a sustained and coordinated regional effort to reverse desertification. The forum also charged the North East Development Commission (NEDC) to be consultative in its dealings and work with states in the region for energy development to unlock the energy potential of the region.
