Olusegun Ariyo
The North Central All Progressive Congress (APC) Forum, has called for the urgent intervention of President Bola Tinubu in the reconstruction of the federal roads scattered across the region.
The Chairman of the Forum, Saleh Zazzaga made the call on Tuesday in Jos the Plateau State capital during a media chat with journalists on the forthcoming last quarter meeting of the Forum, which is slated for October.
He said, “Among the topmost of our agenda will be the development deficit of the North-Central region, and that one of the critical aspects of these deficits and infrastructural decay is the deplorable state of the federal roads across this region.”
Zazzaga urged the President to come to the aid of the region in terms of the roads reconstruction.
“The North-Central region is a critical region in the institutionalization of this democracy, the APC victories and the election of President Tinubu, and as such it is imperative for the people to enjoy the dividends of democracy.”
Zazzaga pointed out that among the three zones in the North, “the North-Central region has the most deplorable roads and highways”.
He said the deplorable state of the roads has caused severe hardship on the people, and led to preventable accidents which has cost the lives of many over the years.
Some of such roads, according to Zazzaga, include the Jos-Akwanga road, Makurdi-Oturkpo-Otukpa road, Makurdi-Ankpa road, Jos-Saminaka/Kaduna road, Minna-Bida road, Ejule-Otukpa road. Others are the Ganawuri-Manchok road, Lokoja-Abuja road, Lapai-Agaie-Bida road, Birnin-Gwari-Bokani-Mokwa road, and Minna-Zungeru-Tegina-Kontagora road.
He also called on the governors in the North-Central governors to intervene in reconstructing the roads where necessary and then seek for refund from the Federal Government as it is being done in other states/regions, where the state governments construct or reconstruct federal roads and then seek for refund from the Federal Government.
Furthermore, he explained that even though such roads are considered to be federal roads, but it is within the states and as a result, the states are the first beneficiaries of the roads.
Also, Zazzaga urged the President to speedily consider the appointment of a minister from Plateau State, as it is the only state without a minister, following the resignation of Simon Lalong as the Minister of Labour and Employment.
Lalong had resigned to take up the senatorial seat as the Senator representing Plateau South.
