Northeast Governors Push Tinubu on Road Projects, Oil Exploration

Borno State Governor Babagana Umara Zulum, alongside his colleagues from the North East Governors’ Forum, met with President Bola Ahmed Tinubu at the Presidential Villa in Abuja on Wednesday to press for urgent infrastructure and economic interventions in the region.

                                             

The talks centered on the completion of 17 major road projects and the revival of oil exploration at the Kolmani and Lake Chad border wells.

The delegation included:

• Muhammadu Inuwa Yahaya (Gombe)

• Bala Muhammad (Bauchi)

• Mai Mala Buni (Yobe)

• Ahmadu Umaru Fintiri (Adamawa)

• Agbu Kefas (Taraba)

Zulum, who chairs the forum, led the discussions.

The governors highlighted strategic highways whose completion would boost security, trade, and agriculture across the northeast. They urged the president to prioritize:

• Kano–Maiduguri Road

• Port Harcourt–Jos–Bauchi–Maiduguri Railway line

• Bama–Mubi–Yola Road

• Wukari–Jalingo–Yola Road

• Bauchi–Gombe–Biu–Damaturu Road

• Damaturu–Geidam Road

• Gombe–Potiskum–Damaturu–Biu Road

• Maiduguri–Monguno–Baga Road

• Maiduguri–Ngala–Bama–Banki Road

The forum also requested renewed federal investment in oil exploration at:

• Kolmani field (between Gombe and Bauchi states)

• Lake Chad Basin wells

According to the governors, diversifying into oil production would create jobs, attract investment, and strengthen regional development.

President Tinubu assured the delegation of his administration’s commitment to tackling infrastructure gaps and driving economic growth in the northeast.

The meeting signals renewed attention to a region long challenged by security threats, underdevelopment, and economic marginalization.