FG’s ₦610bn Infrastructure Approvals: South-East exclusion dangerous — Onoh

…Former Enugu lawmaker faults allocation, demands more federal projects in region

The Chairman of the Forum of Former Members of the Enugu State House of Assembly, Denge Josef Onoh, has criticised the Federal Government’s recent approval of ₦610.13 billion for infrastructure projects, alleging that the South-East was deliberately excluded from the major road projects.

Onoh described the development as a “dangerous economic provocation” and systemic marginalisation of the region, arguing that the South-East’s allocation was limited to a proposed trailer park in Aro-Ngwa, Abia State.

In a statement reacting to the recent announcements by the Federal Executive Council (FEC), Onoh said the region’s inclusion in the infrastructure package amounted to a 50-year private concession for the trailer park, rather than direct federal capital investment.

He said a comparative analysis of the approved projects showed what he described as a lopsided distribution of infrastructure spending across the country.

According to him, the ₦19.70 billion Aro-Ngwa trailer park represented about 3.23 per cent of the total ₦610.13 billion package, adding that the project was structured as a public-private partnership (PPP) concession.

Onoh noted that other projects approved for states outside the South-East included the Ekiti State road reconstruction, valued at ₦159.83 billion; Lagos-Ibadan Expressway maintenance, ₦96.43 billion; Ogun State’s Ilara-Iselu Road, ₦94.24 billion; and the East-West Road section in Rivers State, ₦74.51 billion.

Others, he said, included the Suleja-Min na Road section in Niger State, valued at ₦56.75 billion; Ekiti Phase II Road Rehabilitation, ₦54.52 billion; and the Abeokuta-Iboro-Ilaro Road in Ogun State, valued at ₦54.12 billion.

Onoh argued that the Aro-Ngwa project could not deliver the kind of economic transformation required in the South-East.

He said: “A lorry depot cannot build an economy,” arguing that the trailer park, as a private concession, would not provide the region with the direct federal capital investment being deployed on road projects elsewhere.

According to him, a trailer park would provide parking facilities for heavy-duty vehicles but would not, on its own, generate high-value industrial employment, expand manufacturing or significantly improve the region’s productive capacity.

Onoh also warned that establishing a major trailer park without rehabilitating the federal roads connecting it to major commercial centres could worsen traffic congestion, accelerate the deterioration of surrounding roads and create additional security challenges.

He argued that rather than reducing the cost of doing business, the project could increase operating costs for logistics companies and contribute to higher prices for traders and consumers in the region.

Onoh called on the Federal Government to provide direct funding for critical infrastructure across the South-East, including the completion and dualisation of the Enugu-Onitsha and Enugu-Port Harcourt expressways.

He also advocated standard-gauge rail connectivity to major industrial centres such as Aba, Nnewi and Onitsha to facilitate freight movement.

Other projects he proposed included integrating South-East industrial clusters into the national gas grid, operationalising the Isiala Ngwa Inland Dry Port as a fully functional customs-cleared facility and providing emergency funding to tackle gully erosion threatening communities in Anambra, Imo and Abia states.

Onoh urged the Federal Government to treat the South-East as an equal partner in Nigeria’s economic development and ensure a more inclusive distribution of infrastructure projects.

He said the region deserved investments capable of strengthening its industrial base, improving transportation and reducing the cost of doing business, rather than what he described as token interventions.