Akume: Many Infrastructural Projects Coming for North-central Region

Igbawase Ukumba in Lafia

The Secretary to the Government of the Federation (SGF), Senator George Akume, yesterday said there were many infrastructural projects on the pipeline for the north central region from the federal government.

The SGF stated this at the maiden regional meeting of leaders of the North Central Region from the All Progressives Congress (APC) extraction held in Lafia, the Nasarawa State capital.

Akume, therefore, assured leaders in the region that President Bola Ahmed Tinubu value the contributions of the party in the region and would do more to reward their loyalty.

He said: “Many infrastructural projects are in the pipeline for the region. The President is already addressing some lopsidedness observed in some recent appointments.

“Massive works will begin soon on some road projects, including Makurdi – Enugu, Akwanga – Jos, Lokoja – South West, some road projects within Kwara axis, among others.”

Also speaking, the Chairman of Nigeria Governors’ Forum and APC Coordinating Governor for North-central, Governor AbdulRahman AbdulRazaq, said the meeting was called to thank members and stakeholders for the support for the party, foster unity among stakeholders, and discuss issues of human and infrastructural development affecting the region.

He called for continuous support for the President and the party, saying efforts were ongoing to get more appointments and big projects to the region.

“As leaders, we acknowledge the calls for improvement in the reward system within our party. We have raised this concern with the President, who is a democrat, and he is quite receptive to our suggestions for a measurable change in what comes to this region going forward,” he said.

Abdulrazaq, said two main committees would arise from the meeting, including one on reconciliation and project and policy formulation, both geared towards uniting the party and further aligning government’s projects and policies with the aspirations of the people of the region.

He said leaders of the region were concerned about the treatment of APC lawmakers in Plateau, a concern shared by all the leaders at the event.

Governor Abdulkahi Sule, the host, called for more unity and collaboration among leaders for the purpose of achieving collective goals of development, peace, and security in the region.

He commended the party leaders and other stakeholders for the impressive attendance of the meeting, which he said marked a new positive beginning for the party and the region.

Governor of Benue State, Hyacinth Alia, said the elephant in the room for the north-central was insecurity, which required unity and pooling of resources to address.

He lamented that the region was punching below its weight as the hub of food production and mineral resources owing to insecurity, adding his voice to earlier calls for the NCDC and other interventions that could help the region.

Alia, said the region was yet to recover from the flooding of 2022 that damaged crops and livestock, and displaced hundreds of thousands of people across the region.

Governor Ahmed Usman Ododo of Kogi State, aligned with his colleagues, saying the region needed synergy to tackle the myriad issues affecting it.

“We need a safer North Central to have a better and safer Nigeria because this region is central to the country. While we are blessed with huge mineral resources and rich land, we have to make it work for the people. We need to work together as a region, and that is why this gathering is of great importance,” he said.

The National Chairman of the APC, Abdulkahi Ganduje, said the meeting was one of the fruits of the ongoing reforms within the party, geared towards making APC “active all year round”.

He said the party has also established the Progressive Institute to train leaders and members on key democratic principles and drive progressive policies.

“Meetings like this also allow you to discuss issues that are peculiar to your region, after which recommendations are sent to different layers of the party,” he added.