Tinubu, Umahi Receive Praise from Ndume Over N1.245trn Road Project in North-East

Senator Ali Ndume, representing Borno South, has commended President Bola Tinubu and the Minister of Works, David Umahi, for initiating the reconstruction and dualisation of the 125-kilometre Gombe–Biu highway. The project, valued at N1.245 trillion, was officially launched on Thursday at Liji in Gombe State, with notable attendees including Gombe State Governor Muhammadu Inuwa Yahaya, Minister of Works David Umahi, and Hi-Tech Construction Company Managing Director Danny Abboud. Ndume described the project as a fulfillment of the Tinubu administration's commitment to rehabilitating critical road infrastructure in the North-East. He recalled drawing attention to the road's poor condition across successive administrations due to its strategic importance to economic activities, security operations, and regional integration. In 2019, Ndume engaged with the then Minister of Works and Housing, Babatunde Fashola, expressing concerns about the road's deplorable condition and its significance to economic integration, inter-state mobility, security operations, and regional development. Ndume also made a presentation in July 2021 to the Ministry of Works, emphasizing the need to include the Biu–Gombe corridor in federal rehabilitation priorities and strategic funding windows. His interaction with Minister Umahi in February 2026, where he highlighted the exclusion of the Biu/Damboa/Maiduguri road from the 2026 Budget, ultimately led to the project's approval under the federal tax credit and infrastructure intervention framework. Ndume noted that the rehabilitation and dualisation of the highway would boost economic activities and improve connectivity across the North-East, describing it as a critical corridor linking the region with other parts of Nigeria and neighbouring West African countries. '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. Ndume appealed to the Federal Government to extend the road project beyond Biu to Maiduguri, Monguno, Ngala, and Yola to further enhance trade, security, and regional integration. '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 travellers on that road.' He expressed confidence that residents of the North-East would appreciate the intervention and reward the President with their votes in the forthcoming general elections.