Visible investments in road infrastructure, healthcare and education in some North-Central states are shaping a new political narrative in a region where President Bola Ahmed Tinubu won the 2023 Presidential election by a relatively slim margin. The President had secured 1,760,993 votes, representing 41.3 per cent of the votes cast across the North-Central in the 2023 presidential election but the margin was not wide enough to make the region an electoral stronghold.
 
Three years later, visible infrastructure and the increased capacity of state governments to undertake development projects in Kogi, Benue and Nasarawa States could strengthen Tinubu’s acceptance ahead of the 2027 elections.
 
A nationwide media tour of government projects organised by the Renewed Hope Ambassadors (RHA) in collaboration with the Presidential Media Team has so far taken journalists through the three states in the geo-political zone and the feedback is broadly similar.
 
Beyond the political statements of government officials, residents and community leaders spoke of roads linking farming communities, bridges ending dangerous river crossings, hospitals expanding specialist services, flyovers easing congestion and skills acquisition centres creating opportunities for women and youths.
 
In Nasarawa State, Governor Abdullahi Sule said the state’s monthly allocation had risen from N4.5 billion before the removal of the fuel subsidy to about N16 billion currently, attributing the state’s increased capacity for execution of projects to the administration’s reforms.
 
“Executing all the projects without borrowing from the bank is because of the Federal Government’s support. So, you must give the President credit for that,” Sule said.
 
Among the projects inspected in the state were the N44 billion Mararaba flyover designed to address chronic congestion on the Abuja-Keffi corridor, the Keffi flyover, Akwanga road and underpass projects. There is also the Kilema-Tudun Amba bridge and stormwater channel in Lafia.
 
The Mararaba project, expected to be completed in December this year, will reduce travel time between Abuja and Keffi from over two hours to less than 40 minutes.
 
In Benue State, the ongoing Buruku Bridge across the Katsina-Ala River is expected to enhance movement for communities that have relied on boats to cross the river for decades.
  
Also, the 854-metre dual carriage bridge is expected to link communities in Benue with Taraba State and provide a strategic corridor connecting the North-Central with the North-East.
 
Benue State Deputy Governor, Samuel Ode, described the project as a “golden gift” to the people, recalling the deaths and boat accidents that have occurred on the river over the years.   
 
According to him, the bridge will equally serve agricultural communities, particularly the Sankera axis – a major yam-producing belt – by making it easier for farmers to move their produce to markets.
 
Special Adviser to the President on Information and Strategy, Bayo Onanuga, said such projects provide a practical response to critics of the Federal Government’s borrowing spree.
 
“Government has been accused of borrowing money, but we can see where the money is going into – to develop infrastructure, link communities and to ensure free flow of commerce,” Onanuga said.
 
Benue’s development strides extend beyond roads. About N20 billion has reportedly been invested in the Benue State University Teaching Hospital in the last three years, expanding specialist services, diagnostic facilities and manpower. A cancer centre is under construction, while the hospital’s In Vitro Fertilisation (IVF) centre provides assisted reproductive treatment at a subsidised cost.
 
The Chief Medical Director, Dr. Terungwa S. Hwande, said the hospital is attracting patients from different states of the federation including Nasarawa, Taraba, Kogi, Enugu and the FCT, Abuja.
 
The state is also seeking to translate its agricultural advantage into industrial activity through the rehabilitation of Taraku Mills and the development of the Food Basket Brewery and other processing ventures for job creation and value addition from agricultural production.
 
In Kogi State, the ongoing Iyale-Ogane-Enugu Road in Dekina Local Council reflects government’s efforts to connect rural communities with markets.
 
Residents of Otutulu and neighbouring farming settlements expressed gratitude to President Tinubu and Governor Ahmed Usman Ododo for the long-awaited road.
 
Amodu Joseph Silvas said the project has restored confidence in the communities that had endured years of unfulfilled promises.
 
“This road has been the prayer of our forefathers. Unfortunately, many of them are not alive to witness what we are seeing today. It is a thing of joy for our people because government remembered us.
 
“We are grateful to President Tinubu for supporting the governor. We also appreciate Governor Ododo for using the resources available to him to remember communities like ours,” Silvas said.
  
The road is expected to improve transportation of farm produce from the hinterland where poor transportation had led to post-harvest losses and discouraged agricultural activity.
 
In Benue State, the deputy governor pledged to deliver one million votes for Tinubu in 2027. According to him, the state hopes to achieve this by ensuring that it fulfils its 2023 campaign promises.
 
The media tour, launched recently to enable journalists inspect federal and state projects under the Renewed Hope Agenda, has provided opportunities to examine the link between federal reforms, increased state revenues and projects being delivered across the states.