Senators from the Southeast have lamented the exclusion of the region from the Federal government’s N380bn intervention under the Renewed Hope Infrastructure Development Fund.
The Senators in a motion moved during Thursday plenary sitting by Senator Kenneth Eze representing Ebonyi Central Senatorial zone lamented that no money was allocated to the zone out of the total sum of N380bn in the 2025 budget.
He said: “In the 2025 Appropriations Act, the sum of N3.2 trillion was allocated under the Renewed Hope Infrastructure Development Fund, out of which N380bllion was earmarked specifically for Irrigation Development Projects to be implemented through the various River Basin Development Authorities (RBDAs).
“This is part of the Federal Government’s strategy to boost agricultural production, ensure food security, and create jobs across the country.”
Senator Eze observed that although the intention of the project is national, the actual implementation plan, as designed, excluded Anambra-Imo River Basin Development Authority, which was the only River Basin Authority serving the entire South East geopolitical zone.
Giving a breakdown, the Senator revealed that the Benin Owena RBDA in the South South/South West got N42.2Bn, the Chad Basin RBDA in the North East got N40bn while the Hadejia Jama’are RBDA in the NorthWest/North East got N66.96bn.
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Others are; Ogun Osun RBDA(SOUTH WEST) N45.4bn; Sokoto Rima RBDA (NORTH WEST) N43bn; Upper Benue(NORTH EAST) N40 BN and Upper Niger RBDA (NORTH CENTRAL/NORTH WEST) N24bn.
Senator Eze noted that the National Appropriations Act is the most important policy and legal instrument through which the Federal Government allocates resources for national development, ensuring equitable distribution of resources, and socioeconomic transformation.
He listed some of them as Ozara Okangwu Agri-Business Cluster, which requires a mini-dam on the Etsu River (Ebonyi State) The lvo Dam Irrigation Project (Enugu/Ebonyi States) Item Amegu Rice Farm Dam (Ebonyi State) Amauzari Earth Dam (Imo State) Ifite Ogwari/Omor Dam (Anambra State).
Senator Eze expressed worry that the exclusion of these projects of national importance and other critical interventions not only risks undermining the region’s agricultural potential and the current administration’s economic rejuvenation efforts.
Seconding the motion, Senator Osita Ngwu representing Enugu West described the mission as a very expensive one adding that the South-East cannot continually be treated the way Nigeria is treating the South-East.