President Bola Tinubu’s former campaign spokesman in the south East, Dr. Josef Onoh has cautioned a comedian from the Northern part of Nigeria, Muhammad Jamil, also known as Jadda Garko, who accused the Minister of works, Engr. Dave Umahi of neglecting roads infrastructure in the north while concentrating in the southern parts of Nigeria.
Onoh said that he would have ignored the musician, but for the records and to avoid the comedian misleading the greater well-informed and well-respected northerners and Nigerians as a whole.
Garko had in Abuja accused the minister for works, Umahi of being a tribalist who has abandoned road projects in the northern parts of Nigeria for the ones in the Southern parts.
Replying Garko, Onoh said that it was people like Garko who cause disaffection in the country out of their ignorance and delusion, stressing that since the Tinubu administration, Garko and his likes have played up so much ethnic cards simply because a southerner won the 2023 presidential election.
He asked Garko to first go and resolve the insecurity his likes instituted in parts of northern Nigeria which he said was a serious challenge for road constructions in the unsecured region:
“But the truth is that despite all these kicks from Garko and his co-comedians, President Bola Ahmed Tinubu’s Renewed Hope road infrastructure projects have been in fair distribution across the six geopolitical zones of Nigeria and has indeed done more roads in the north than in southern parts of the country.
“For the records, the Honourable Minister of Works who is executing the President’s Renewed Hope blueprint has continued to work diligently, transparently, and fairly in implementing the distribution of road infrastructure interventions nationwide, and this applies to both the projects funded through the budgetary provisions and other funding alternatives, including the Renewed Hope Legacy road projects, the inherited ongoing projects and the emergency intervention projects.
“Reality indicates that out of a total of 2,735 kilometers of the Renewed Hope Legacy projects the North has 1,414 kilometers while the South has 1,321 kilometers, amounting to 52 percent for the north and 48 percent for the south. Out of a total of 82 Sukuk-funded ongoing projects, the North has 45 while the South has 37 projects.
“Out of the 260 emergency projects, 98 projects are being executed in the South, while 108 numbers are being executed in the North. Out of the 44 road projects executed under the Road Tax Credit Scheme, 23 of the projects are being executed in the North, while 21 numbers are in the South.
“The Federal Executive Council on September 23, 2024 approved the construction of 258 kilometers three-lane carriageway with continuously reinforced concrete pavement in Kebbi and Sokoto States which is part stretch of the 1,000 kilometers of Sokoto-Badagry superhighway. The FEC also approved the completion of the construction of Bodo-Bonny Road with bridges across the Opobo Channel in Rivers State.
“The rescoping and downward review of the contract to rehabilitate the Abuja-Kaduna-Zaria-Kano dual carriageway; the construction of Cross River to Oferekpe road and rehabilitation of Kabba (Kogi State), Iyamoye-Omuo-Ikole-Ifaki-Ado Ekiti Road; the repair of the Gamboru Bridge along Gamboru-Ngala-Kala, Balde road in Borno State; flooded sections of Federal Highways nationwide and few others in the South.
“The expansion of Mararaba – Keffi road (43.65km); the construction of Lafia Bypass Road and the dualization of 9th mile (Enugu) –Otukpo – Makurdi road project (phase II) in Nasarawa, Benue and Enugu states. The rehabilitation of Abuja – Abaji – Lokoja road, Abuja – Lokoja Road, Kano – Maiduguri Dual Carriageway, Adamawa – Taraba Single Carriageway, Adamawa – Borno Single Carriageway, Kaduna-Jos Road Single Carriageway, Zaria-Funtua-Gusau-Sokoto Road Dual Carriageway, and Abuja-Kaduna-Zaria-Kano road.
“Finally, I’ll advise Garko to put more effort at composing great campaign slogans for aspirants who are interested in political office come 2027. Politics and service to the people is serious business which is in total contrast to the four walls of a recording studio,” Onoh advised.
