Special Adviser on Information and Strategy to the President, Bayo Onanuga, has dismissed the ongoing criticisms against President Bola Tinubu’s borrowing policy, insisting that the funds were judiciously deployed into developmental infrastructural projects across states in the country.
Onanuga justified the administration’s decision to raise funds for developmental projects, saying that the ongoing investments in roads and bridges are confirmations that borrowed funds are channeled into infrastructure to boost economic activities, improve connectivity and open up previously isolated communities.
He spoke on the media tour of Projects in Benue State by the Renewed Hope Ambassadors (RHAs) in collaboration with the Presidential Media team to showcase the projects executed by the federal and state governments under President Tinubu’s Renewed Hope Agenda.
While inspecting Buruku Federal Government Bridge project, Onanuga defended the borrowing, saying the various projects were a practical response to pessimistic Nigerians questioning the administration’s borrowing strategy.
We see that the government has been accused of borrowing money as Nigerians. But we also see where the money goes; to develop infrastructure, to link people who had been forgotten, to ensure commerce flows freely and to enable farmers to move their produce straight to the markets,” he defended.
Buruku Bridge is one of the five bridges being constructed by the Federal Government in Benue State to greatly enhance movement between Benue, Taraba and Adamawa states, Onanuga said.
“The bridge would reduce travel time between rural communities and urban centers and also create a strategic economic corridor linking the North-Central and Northeast. The pace of work has been good, officials confirmed, adding that funding is not an issue as the project is funded from the Renewed Hope Infrastructure Fund. “This project is going to be beneficial to everybody economically,” he added.
Earlier, the Federal Controller of Works in Benue State, Mukaila Danlandi, told the delegation that the 854-metre dual carriage bridge that began in 2023 is expected to be completed by December 2027.
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He added that all the substructures including piles, pile caps and pillars were completed and precast beams were ready to be installed after the water level goes down following the rainy season.
“There is no problem with the funding. The project is part of the Renewed Hope Infrastructure Fund. “The compensation issues which initially slowed the work had been resolved following the intervention of the Benue State government,” he noted.
On his part, Benue State Deputy Governor, Dr Samuel Ode, called the bridge a landmark intervention that would permanently end decades of dangerous crossings on the Katsina-Ala River.
He was reminded of all the lives that had been lost to the river over the years thru many boat mishaps, but described the project as “a golden gift to the people of Benue State.”
The bridge connects Buruku, Logo, Katsina-Ala and Ukum Local Government Areas and extends into Taraba State, thus it is a vital transport corridor for agricultural produce.
“The project would especially benefit Sankera, which is considered Benue’s major yam-producing belt, by giving trucks carrying yams and other food crops direct access to markets in southern Nigeria.
“This is a very important connecting road between the North-Central and the Northeast. “It is going to be a major economic hub in this sub-region,” Ode said.
The RHAs media team also inspected the High Level Underpass in Makurdi, a Benue State government project built to decongest one of the state’s busiest traffic intersections, the Buruku Bridge across Katsina-Ala River, the Abuja-Akwanga-Lafia-Makurdi-9th Mile highway, the Wurukum Flyover, the High Level Underpass in Makurdi and Gboko Township.
Other projects include the N15 billion Food Basket Brewery located along the Makurdi-Gboko road where ZEVA Premium Lager Beer and ZEVA Premium Malt are produced.