Experience, they say, is the best teacher, and that is the basis on which motorists and other Nigerians who are traveling to their home states and towns for the Yuletide have knocked the federal government for its claim that it has been guided by equity, fairness, and justice in its road infrastructure provision across different regions of the country.
The knocks came mostly from travelers on the East-West routes who spend hours on end, navigating the potholes, gullies and craters that dot the better part of that route, especially the portion that leads from Benin to Onitsha.
This contrasts sharply with the Abuja-Kaduna Road, which leads travelers to the Northern part of the country. As against the gullies and craters on the Benin-Onitsha Road, the Abuja-Kaduna Road is asphalted and well-paved with well-marked lanes.
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The federal government has consistently denied allegations of regional discrimination in infrastructure provision, emphasizing fairness, equity, and justice in project distribution.
Mohammed Idris, the Minister of Information and National Orientation, in defence of the President Bola Tinubu administration, says the administration has been guided by principles of fairness, justice, and equity in this regard.
Idris added that the administration has ensured that no region is left behind in development efforts and dismissed claims of favouritism. He stressed that the distribution of capital projects is equitable, and that all six geopolitical zones have received equitable attention.
“The government has also established Regional Development Commissions to drive growth and ensure balanced development across the country,” he emphasized.
In all of this, South East is the weeping child among the six regions in terms of infrastructure road distribution. The Benin-Onitsha Road, which attests to this, is not even an isolated case. The Enugu-Onitsha Road has remained a perpetual construction site.
But David Umahi is quick to dispute the reality that is on the ground in the South East roads infrastructure. The minister stoutly denies that the Southeast is marginalized, saying that there are ongoing N445.8 billion road projects in the region.
Umahi frequently dismisses complaints about marginalization and poor road infrastructure in the South East as politics. “The path chosen by some persons is to deceive unsuspecting members of the public, look good before the people as one fighting for them, and close both eyes pretentiously over the great and selfless infrastructure development the government is doing all over the nation,” he stated.
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But the travelers and motorists who are on the roads across the regions seem to know better, and the Abuja-Kaduna Road Versus Benin-Onitsha Road paints a clearer picture of where there is neglect and where there is interest in getting things done, and in good time.
