The Nigerian Senate on Tuesday publicly commended President Bola Ahmed Tinubu for approving the dualisation of the strategically important Akwanga–Jos–Bauchi–Gombe federal highway, a project lawmakers said had been promised for nearly four decades.
The laudatory remarks came on the floor of the Senate during plenary after a Point of Order raised by Senator Abdul Ningi (PDP-Bauchi), who described the approval as a major milestone for the North-Central and North-East regions.
Senator Ningi noted that the Minister of Works, Dave Umahi, had last week informed Nigerians that the Federal Government had awarded the contract for the long-awaited dual carriageway project. The highway, which links the towns of Akwanga in Nasarawa State, Jos in Plateau, and extends to Bauchi and Gombe cities, has been largely single-lane since its construction.
“Mr President, as representatives of the people and on behalf of senators from Plateau, Bauchi, Gombe, Nasarawa and Adamawa, we emphatically thank the President/Commander-in-Chief for providing this road,” Ningi said. “This is a road we have waited for almost four decades. Mr President, over the last 40 years, the Nigerian nation seems to have forgotten the people of Plateau, Bauchi, Gombe and Adamawa.”
Highlighting the historical significance of the corridor, Ningi reminded his colleagues of the distinguished leaders who hail from the region. “We want to remind Nigerians that the first Prime Minister of Nigeria comes from Bauchi; the former Head of State, Gen. Yakubu Gowon, comes from Plateau. At the material time they were leaving this country, they were not biased; they were for Nigeria,” he said.
Ningi further urged that the Senate’s Committees on Works and Finance should monitor the project closely to ensure that adequate funding is allocated and that the work proceeds without undue delay.
Another lawmaker, Senator Danjuma Goje (APC-Gombe), echoed Ningi’s appreciation. He praised the President for “listening to the plight and complaints of our people,” and expressed hope that the project will one day extend beyond Gombe to Maiduguri, deepening the regional connectivity.
Lawmakers underscored the broader economic and security impacts of the road upgrade, noting that the corridor has long been associated with frequent accidents, heavy economic losses and logistical bottlenecks due to its dilapidated state.
