PANDEF Slams Exclusion of South-South from Federal Road Projects

By Omoyeni Ojeifo

The Pan Niger Delta Forum (PANDEF) is protesting the South-South’s exclusion from the Federal Executive Council’s new ₦3.9 trillion road infrastructure package.

Persecondnews correspondent at a media briefing on Friday in Abuja reports that PANDEF National Chairman, Amb. Godknows Igali, criticized the lopsided allocations and urged President Bola Tinubu to ensure the region is not left behind

The forum said it welcomed the Federal Government’s commitment to infrastructure development but described it as “troubling and shocking” that only one project was allocated to the South-South despite the scale of the investment.

Igali said the region had continued to suffer decades of infrastructure deficits despite its strategic contribution to the nation’s economy.

He stressed that the latest allocation had triggered widespread concern among political, traditional and community leaders.

“We are totally disturbed, and as a people, we are not happy. We have consulted widely with our people, traditional rulers and political leaders, and there is widespread concern over the absence of road projects in our region,” he said.

According to him, the East-West Road had become a metaphor for failed projects, noting that construction had dragged on for years and left motorists contending with diversions and difficult driving conditions along the corridor.

“I travel that road almost every week, and it is a nightmare. You can hardly drive 10 kilometres without crossing from one carriageway to another because work is progressing at a snail’s pace,” Igali said.

He argued that the pace of work on the East-West Road contrasted sharply with road construction in other parts of the country, reinforcing the perception that the South-South was being neglected in federal infrastructure planning.

The PANDEF chairman also expressed concern over the state of the Warri and Port Harcourt ports, saying both facilities were operating below capacity without any visible plan for comprehensive rehabilitation by the Federal Government.

Appealing directly to President Tinubu, Igali urged him not to overlook the South-South in future infrastructure planning, insisting that the region was only seeking fairness rather than preferential treatment.

“We are not asking that only the South-South should benefit. We are asking to be treated fairly like every other part of Nigeria. This is our country, and justice demands that our region also receives its fair share of national development.”

Igali, however, acknowledged interventions by the Niger Delta Development Commission (NDDC) but maintained that such efforts could not replace major federal infrastructure investments needed to address the South-South’s longstanding development challenges.

He pledged the region’s continued support for efforts to boost Nigeria’s oil and gas production while expressing confidence that the Federal Government would respond positively to PANDEF’s call for equitable infrastructure development.

The forum’s reaction followed FEC’s recent approval of a ₦3.9 trillion infrastructure plan for 27 major road projects across 15 states, a list PANDEF noted largely excluded the South-South region.