The Presidency has defended President Bola Ahmed Tinubu’s borrowing policy, insisting that ongoing infrastructure projects across the country show that the funds are being used for development rather than waste.
Special Adviser to the President on Information and Strategy, Bayo Onanuga, made the remarks on Thursday during the Presidential Media Tour of Projects in Benue State.
The tour, organised by the Renewed Hope Ambassadors (RHA) in collaboration with the Presidential Media Team, showcased federal and state projects being implemented under the Renewed Hope Agenda.
Speaking after inspecting the 854-metre Buruku Bridge across the Katsina-Ala River, Onanuga said the administration’s investments in roads, bridges and industries directly answer critics of the government’s borrowing.
“As Nigerians, we see that the government has been accused of borrowing money. But we can also see where the money is going; to develop infrastructure, link people who had been forgotten, ensure commerce flows freely and enable farmers to move their produce straight to the markets,” he said.
Onanuga said the Buruku Bridge is one of five bridges currently under construction by the Federal Government in Benue State. He explained that the project would improve movement between Benue, Taraba and Adamawa states while creating a major economic corridor linking the North-Central and North-East.
He expressed satisfaction with the pace of work, noting that officials assured him funding was secure through the Renewed Hope Infrastructure Fund.
“This project is going to be beneficial to everybody economically,” he added.
The Federal Controller of Works in Benue State, Engr. Mukaila Danlandi, said construction began in 2023 and is scheduled for completion by December 2027.
According to him, all substructures, including piles, pile caps and piers, have been completed, while precast beams are ready for installation after the rainy season.
“There is no funding problem. The project is under the Renewed Hope Infrastructure Fund,” Danlandi said.
He added that compensation issues that earlier slowed work had been resolved with the support of the Benue State Government.
Benue Deputy Governor, Dr. Samuel Ode, described the bridge as “a golden gift to the people of Benue State,” saying it would end decades of fatal boat accidents on the Katsina-Ala River.
He said the bridge would connect Buruku, Logo, Katsina-Ala and Ukum local government areas with Taraba State while providing easier access for trucks transporting agricultural produce from Sankera, Benue’s major yam-producing region, to markets in southern Nigeria.
A local iron bender working on the project, Ilakyaa Keghtor, said more than 50 youths from the host community had been employed.
“When the bridge is completed, we will no longer experience the frequent boat accidents that have claimed many lives,” he said.
The delegation also inspected the Makurdi high-level underpass, the ongoing Wurukum Flyover, a 20-kilometre dual carriageway leading to the Renewed Hope Estate, the N15 billion Food Basket Brewery, the revived Taraku Mills, a new fruit concentrate factory and the Gboko Township Underpass.
Onanuga said the projects demonstrate that borrowing under the Tinubu administration is translating into infrastructure capable of boosting economic activities, improving connectivity and opening up previously isolated communities.
