The Northern Elders Forum (NEF) has issued a strongly worded statement condemning what it describes as the systematic exclusion of Northern Nigeria from critical federal infrastructure investments, particularly in road and railway development.
In a press release signed by Professor Abubakar Jika Jiddere, spokesperson for the forum, the group described recent infrastructure funding approvals by the federal government as “a national failure demanding immediate redress.”
According to the NEF, while the federal government has recently approved billions of naira for road and rail projects across the country, a clear regional imbalance is evident—heavily favouring Southern Nigeria at the expense of the North, especially the North East, which remains one of the most fragile and underserved regions of the country.
“This amounts to systematic exclusion,” the statement reads, “and the Northern Elders Forum is gravely concerned about it.”
The NEF cited several major southern projects to illustrate the disparity, including the Lagos–Calabar Coastal Highway, ₦1.344 trillion; the Delta State section, ₦470.9 billion; the Second Niger Bridge (completion), ₦148 billion; the Lagos–Ibadan Expressway (Phase 2), ₦195 billion; the Lokoja–Benin Road, ₦305 billion; and the Third Mainland Bridge structural work, ₦3.571 billion.
In contrast, the few Northern projects cited include the Abuja–Kano Expressway, ₦252 billion, and Wusasa–Jos Road, ₦18 billion.
The NEF dismissed these allocations as “tokenistic,” arguing that many so-called northern projects merely serve southern logistical interests.
“Projects like the Lokoja–Benin Road are listed as Northern, but they only pass through Lokoja to support southern trade routes,” the forum stated.
The forum expressed particular alarm at the complete exclusion of the North East from high-value infrastructure investments, despite the region’s long-standing vulnerability to insurgency, poverty, and infrastructural collapse. Highways in dire need of attention include: Jalingo–Numan–Yola–Bama; Bauchi–Gombe Road; Gombe–Maiduguri to Biu, Mubi, Gwoza; Damaturu–Gashua–Damasak–Gubio; Nasarawa–Benue–Taraba–Adamawa–Borno Corridor.
In addition, the NEF highlighted the deterioration of other critical roads in the North Central and North West, such as the Minna–Bida and Kaduna–Jos routes, which have seen decades of federal neglect.
The forum also condemned the decay of railway infrastructure in the North. Specifically, it pointed to the complete collapse of the Eastern Rail Line, which links Port Harcourt to Maiduguri through several northern cities. The line has been non-functional for over a decade, dealing a blow to trade and mobility in the region.
While the South has benefited from modern rail developments like the Lagos–Ibadan standard gauge, the Warri–Itakpe line, and the proposed Lagos–Calabar Coastal Rail, no corresponding railway investments have been made in the North.
“The NRC and Ministry of Transportation must provide a clear and transparent explanation for this neglect,” the NEF demanded.
The NEF argued that the North’s contributions to Nigeria’s economy, through agriculture, mining, livestock, and trade, are significant, yet not matched by proportional investments. The region also hosts the largest population and the widest land area, yet remains marginalised.
In its concluding remarks, the forum issued a three-point demand: immediate inclusion of the North East in all current and future federal road and rail infrastructure plans; public accountability from the Ministry of Works and the Nigerian Railway Corporation regarding regional disparities; and political action from northern governors, ministers, and lawmakers to block any future budget that fails to reflect equitable infrastructure distribution.
“This is a defining moment for Nigeria’s leadership,” said Professor Jiddere. “The choice is clear: equity or exclusion, unity or fracture.”
The Northern Elders Forum called on the federal government to correct the imbalance urgently, warning that failure to act may fuel regional discontent and threaten national cohesion.
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