Address South-East’s Exclusion From National Rail, Port, Gas Master Plan – Soludo Tells Tinubu

The Governor of Anambra State, Chukwuma Soludo, has urged President Bola Tinubu to address the exclusion of the South East from the national rail, gas master plan, and port projects.

Naijaonpoint reports that Governor Soludo told President Tinubu that the South East holds so much economic potential that would enhance the nation’s development if infrastructures are put right.

He stated this on Thursday while he welcomed Tinubu, who was in Anambra to commission projects executed by the Governor.

The former Governor of the Central Bank of Nigeria (CBN) commended the President for some infrastructural projects being constructed by the federal government in the region.

“We are deeply grateful for several road projects currently being executed by your administration that benefit Anambra state, running into hundreds of billions of Naira especially the Enugu-Onitsha Road, Rehabilitation of Onitsha-Owerri Road, Phase 2b access road to Second Niger bridge, rehabilitation of Oba-Nnewi Road Section II in Anambra, etc. When completed, they will be important gamechangers for our people,” he said.

Governor Soludo added that the South East believes the President has the capacity to address the region’s marginalization.

“To leapfrog the process of our transformation, there are, however, a few critical areas we would need further federal interventions to unlock huge opportunities. Anambra remains, possibly, the gully erosion capital of the world, with one-third of our land mass under persistent threat and the resource requirements to deal with this are far beyond the capacity of a state government.

“We are already spending tens of billions of Naira on this, but a lot more is urgently needed. The Southeast, and Anambra in particular, is bypassed by the national gas master plan despite abundant reserves of natural gas. We are not part of the national rail system. The Onitsha River port, commissioned by President Shehu Shagari in 1982 remains a proposal ostensibly because the federal government has been unable to undertake the required dredging.

“Only Asiwaju, the man who tamed the Atlantic, can break this 43-year-old jinx so that badges from Onne and other seaports can easily discharge at Onitsha. There is an abandoned strategic federal road project that links Anambra with Kogi state. Upon completion, the journey between Anambra/Southeast and Abuja might be shortened to about three hours – down from the current nine hours! The list is long, and we are convinced that systematically, these issues will be addressed,” he stated.