The Chairman of the Forum of Former Members of the Enugu State House of Assembly, Denge Josef Onoh, has criticised the Federal Government’s recent approval of infrastructure projects worth ₦610.13 billion, alleging that the South-East was largely excluded from the package.
Onoh, in a statement reacting to the latest Federal Executive Council (FEC) approvals, described the distribution of the projects as lopsided, arguing that the region had not received any significant direct federal investment in its road infrastructure.
According to him, reducing federal infrastructural intervention in the entire South-East to a 50-year private concession for a trailer park was an insult to the region’s contribution to Nigeria’s commercial and industrial economy.
Onoh said his analysis of the approved projects showed that the South-East accounted for only ₦19.70 billion, representing about 3.23 per cent of the total package, through the proposed Aro-Ngwa trailer park in Abia State.
He noted, however, that the project was structured as a Public-Private Partnership (PPP) concession and therefore did not represent direct Federal Government capital expenditure on infrastructure in the region.
Comparing the allocation with projects approved for other parts of the country, Onoh said individual projects in other states received substantially higher commitments.
He listed the Ekiti State road reconstruction project, valued at ₦159.83 billion, as about 711 per cent higher than the South-East allocation.
He also cited the ₦96.43 billion Lagos-Ibadan Expressway maintenance project, the ₦94.24 billion Ilara-Iselu Road project in Ogun State and the ₦74.51 billion East-West Road Section project in Rivers State.
Other projects he referenced included the ₦56.75 billion Suleja-Minna Road Section in Niger State, the ₦54.52 billion Phase II Road Rehabilitation in Ekiti State and the ₦54.12 billion Abeokuta-Iboro-Ilaro Road project in Ogun State.
Onoh argued that the disparity demonstrated what he described as an imbalance in the distribution of federal infrastructure spending.
He further questioned the economic value of the proposed Aro-Ngwa trailer park to the South-East, describing it as an “economic dead-end” rather than the type of capital-intensive infrastructure needed to stimulate regional development.
According to him, rather than reducing the cost of doing business in the region, the facility could become an additional revenue collection point for government agencies and increase the cost of transporting goods.
Onoh warned that such additional costs could further affect indigenous logistics companies and contribute to rising prices for traders and consumers across the region.
He therefore called on the Federal Government to provide direct funding for major road projects in the South-East, particularly if the administration was committed to implementing the Federal Character principle in the distribution of national resources.
He said the South-East should be treated as a major contributor and partner in Nigeria’s economic development rather than as a region receiving limited intervention.
Onoh urged the President Bola Ahmed Tinubu administration to pursue what he described as more inclusive governance and ensure that infrastructure spending reflects the needs and contributions of all regions.
“My region deserves better, Mr President,” Onoh said.
He added that the South-East should not be given what he described as an inadequate share of national development resources, using the analogy of bread soaked in water.
“Bread is meant to be dry, firm, or toasted. And once bread is thoroughly soaked in water, it loses its structure, turns into unappetising mush, and becomes practically useless and unpalatable. My region deserves better, Mr President,” he concluded.