Nupe elders, under the auspices of Niger South Senior Stakeholders, have condemned remarks by the senator representing Niger East District, Sani Musa, on the proposed construction of the Baro-Kachia-Agaie Road.
On the senate floor, the senator opposed the construction of the Baro-Kachia-Agaie road, which leads to the Baro port, saying, “There is nobody on that road” corridor.
Musa, who is the chairman of the Senate Committee on Finance, also claimed that “all the proposed federal projects for Niger State in 2025 appropriation are concentrated in one place, and it is not fair.”
The Santurakin Nupe, Dr Mohammed Kudu Santuraki, in a statement yesterday reacting to Sen. Musa’s comment, said an appropriate network of road linkages is necessary for an inland port to be viable and for goods to be transported there.
He said the “vitriol and anger in the senator’s voice and body language are palpable” and revealed his “real grouse” about the section of the state.
He said while it was true that not much progress had been made on the Baro Port project, for the senator to gleefully assert that “there is nothing at Baro Port” was a very negative hyperbole, unbecoming of a senator, representing a people in Niger State, even if not the people of the subject area.
Dr Santuraki, who is also the pro-chancellor of the Federal University of Technology, Minna, explained that Senator Musa failed to understand that an appropriate network of road linkages is necessary for an inland port to be viable and for goods to be transported there.
He said: “It is rather unfortunate that the senator is concerned that ‘all the proposed federal projects for Niger State in 2025 appropriation are concentrated in one place, and it is not fair’ because that place is in his state.
“We expect that the senator will use his good office as the chair of the powerful Senate Finance Committee to influence the allocation of additional resources to the areas of his interest in the state instead of lamenting publicly, on the Senate floor, about the resources allocated to projects in other parts of his state.
“We wish to add that this is not the first time the senator employs this tactic. During the last National Assembly, one of our members representing Zone A initiated a bill for the establishment of a new federal university in Niger South Senatorial District. Senator Sani Musa diluted this effort by proposing another bill for a university to also be established in Suleja in the same state!
“This trend is rather unhealthy. Nigerlites expect our elected representatives to not only serve the interests of their micro constituencies but also, individually and collectively, pursue the overall interest of Niger State. This is especially necessary and important if such politicians have statewide leadership ambitions.”
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