Moses Ofodeme
North East Governors Forum has likened the Mambila Power project to precious white elephant projects that defied completion, as they appealed to the Federal Government to fast-track work on the project to actualise its objectives.
Making the appeal in a communique issued late Wednesday, and signed by its chairman, Governor Babagana Zulum of Borno State, after a meeting in Bauchi, the Forum observed that the project existed only on paper, but in reality, had yet to commence.
The Forum stressed the need to accord the project the attention it deserved, adding that its anticipated positive impact of turning the fortunes of the sub-region and the nation at large upon completion, could not be over-emphsised
The Forum also pledged to be aggressive in repositioning education, and therefore resolved to form the North East Council on Education ,with mandate to improve performance of students.
It also noted that the zone remained short-changed in the appropriation of capital projects in the 2021 national budget considering the precarious security situation in the sub-region,adding that the region required infrastructural projects to defeat insurgency.
“There is the need to make adequate allocation for capital projects in the build-up to the supplementary budget, which is the only means to redress the apparent injustice to the region” it added.
The Forum however thanked the Federal Government for selection of some roads through the presidential order 07,to be constructed by Dangote group and Lafarge/Ashaka.
It resolved to work with the UK Government in all areas beneficial to the sub-region, but without compromising Nigeria’s sovereignty ,saying this decision was a product of the recent Forum’s meeting with British High Commissioner in Nigeria.