Senator Ndume hails President Tinubu saysNorth would reward him with votes
Senator Ndume hails President Tinubu saysNorth would reward him with votes
Senator Ali Ndume, who represents Borno South in the National Assembly, has commended President Bola Ahmed Tinubu for approving the reconstruction and dualisation of the Gombe–Biu highway, describing it as a strategic intervention that will transform connectivity and economic activity in the North-East.
The federal government had on Thursday flagged off the 125-kilometre Gombe–Biu road project at a cost of N1.245 trillion under a major infrastructure renewal programme.
In a statement on Saturday, Ndume said the project would significantly improve regional integration, boost commerce, and strengthen security operations across affected corridors in the North-East.
He noted that he had consistently advocated for the rehabilitation of the highway under successive administrations, citing repeated engagements with key government officials over the years.
“In 2019, during a high-level engagement with the then Minister of Works and Housing, Babatunde Raji Fashola, which I initiated, I expressed concerns regarding the deplorable condition of the Biu–Gombe Road, emphasizing its strategic significance to economic integration, inter-state mobility, security operations, and regional development within the North-East subregion,” he said.
The senator added that he renewed his advocacy in 2021 during discussions on national infrastructure financing, where he again pushed for the inclusion of the corridor in federal priority projects.
“Also in July 2021, during an engagement with the Ministry of Works, during deliberations connected to national infrastructure financing frameworks, including projects tied to African Development Bank-supported facilities, I also made presentation on the urgent need to include the Biu–Gombe corridor within federal rehabilitation priorities, strategic funding windows, and long-term infrastructure development frameworks,” he said.
Ndume further disclosed that a letter he sent to the Minister of Works, David Umahi, on February 11, 2026, helped reinforce the case for the project’s approval.
“It is heart warming to note that my interaction with the present Minister of Works, Engineer Dave Umahi in a letter dated February 11, 2026, in which I drew his attention to the exclusion of the Biu/Damboa/Maiduguri all in Borno state in the 2026 Budget Four Legacy Projects of the present administration finally paid off as the Federal Executive Council (FEC) eventually approved the Biu–Gombe Road project under the federal tax credit and infrastructure intervention framework,” he said.
“The project was subsequently captured among strategic national road interventions financed through the Nigerian National Petroleum Corporation (NNPC) tax liabilities arrangement.”
Ndume described the highway as a “strategic” economic and security corridor linking the North-East with other parts of Nigeria and neighbouring countries, adding that its rehabilitation would also help curb insurgency by improving mobility for security agencies.
While expressing appreciation to President Tinubu for the approval, the senator urged the Federal Government to extend the project beyond Biu to Maiduguri, Monguno, Ngala, and down to Yola.
“I want to appreciate Mr. President for listening to my calls. It is a laudable project that will unlock economic opportunities and improve the quality of life for Nigerians,” he said.
“Like Oliver Twist, we want to appeal to President Tinubu to extend the road network not only to Biu, but to Maiduguri and up to Monguno and Ngala, and then down to Yola.”
“Those are very critical roads that go down to the border that will also promote inter-country trade and also help in the fight against insurgency because they always take advantage of the bad road to block people and kidnap travelers on that road.
“I am sure that the people of the North East will appreciate this gesture of Mr. President and reward him with their votes in the forthcoming general elections.”
