Amid growing discontent over federal neglect of infrastructure in Nigeria’s South-South and South-East regions, Senator Ned Nwoko has commended President Bola Tinubu for approving the commencement of the Second Niger Bridge access road and the long-overdue reconstruction of the Asaba-Benin Expressway.
Nwoko, a member of the Senate Committee on Works, lauded the projects as a strategic breakthrough, subtly implying that past administrations had failed to prioritize them. His statement, issued in Abuja on Monday, highlighted Tinubu’s commitment to “economic integration, national cohesion, and infrastructural renewal”—a remark that could be seen as a veiled criticism of previous governments’ neglect of the region.
For years, the Asaba-Benin Expressway has been a nightmare for commuters, riddled with potholes and blamed for countless accidents and economic losses. Nwoko, who represents Delta North, acknowledged persistent pressure on the Federal Ministry of Works to act, suggesting that the region’s infrastructural concerns had been sidelined until now.
“The Senate Committee on Works, where I serve, has taken a firm position that all national roads must be reconstructed and revitalized,” he stated, implying that without this legislative push, the federal government might have continued to ignore the suffering of road users in the region.
While celebrating the breakthrough, Nwoko’s praise of Tinubu’s leadership raises eyebrows, especially given the South-East’s history of political alienation and grievances over infrastructural marginalization. The senator’s remarks may spark debates on whether the move is a genuine intervention or a calculated political strategy by the Tinubu administration to gain favor in the region.
With Minister of Works David Umahi receiving praise for his “hands-on approach,” many Nigerians will be watching closely to see if these projects materialize as promised—or if they will become another unfulfilled pledge in the long history of abandoned federal infrastructure in the South-South and South-East.
