The Northern Elders Forum (NEF) has raised alarm over what it describes as deliberate exclusion of Northern Nigeria—particularly the North East—from critical federal road and railway infrastructure funding.
In a strongly worded statement, NEF condemned the Federal Government’s latest infrastructure allocations as lopsided, unjust, and a threat to national unity.
According to NEF, the recently approved funding shows a clear pattern of favoritism towards the South, while the North—despite hosting Nigeria’s largest population and territory—continues to suffer systemic neglect.
The group pointed to massive budgetary allocations to southern infrastructure projects such as the ₦1.344 trillion Lagos-Calabar Coastal Highway and the ₦470.9 billion Delta section, compared to token allocations in the North.
Even though projects like the Abuja–Kano Expressway (₦252 billion) and the Wusasa–Jos Road (₦18 billion) exist, NEF argues they are not only inadequate but also pale in comparison to the scale of investments in the South.
The Forum cited long-neglected and deteriorating roads across the North East and other Northern regions, including the Jalingo–Numan–Yola–Bama road, the Bauchi–Gombe Road, the Gombe–Maiduguri route through Biu, Gombi, Mubi, Madagali, and Gwoza, and the Damaturu–Gashua–Gaidam–Damasak–Gubio corridor.
Other strategic highways that remain in poor condition include the road linking Nasarawa, Benue, Taraba, Adamawa, and Borno States, as well as major routes like Birnin Gwari–Ilorin, Minna–Bida, Kaduna–Jos via Saminaka, and Kaduna–Minna via Sarkin Pawa.
NEF condemns neglect of major infrastructures
NEF also condemned the near-total collapse of railway infrastructure across the North, especially the Port Harcourt to Maiduguri Eastern Line, which has remained inactive for over a decade.
When will the critical Port Harcourt–Maiduguri Eastern Rail Line be restored and upgraded to serve the millions of citizens and industries across the North East and North Central?
It is incumbent upon the NRC and the Ministry of Transportation to provide a clear and transparent explanation for this neglect, and to present a comprehensive plan for rail rehabilitation and expansion that includes the Northern rail corridors as a national priority.
The Forum demanded immediate inclusion of North East infrastructure in the national development portfolio, a public explanation from both the Federal Ministry of Works and the Nigerian Railway Corporation regarding the regional disparities, and a firm commitment from Northern lawmakers, governors, and ministers to oppose any federal policy or budget that fails to address these imbalances.
NEF emphasized that the North plays a vital role in Nigeria’s economy through agriculture, mining, livestock, and cross-border trade and should not be treated as a second-class region in national development.
It demanded;
“A public explanation from both the Federal Ministry of Works and the Nigerian Railway Corporation (NRC) regarding the gross disparities in regional infrastructure allocations.”
“A binding commitment from Northern lawmakers, governors, and ministers to reject any federal budget or policy framework that does not ensure balanced and inclusive infrastructure development.”
