I am extremely afraid and worried that at the end of the tenure of this administration, the major projects proposed and promised for the development of Arewa will not be implemented. These projects include, by Umar Othman Tofa

I am extremely afraid and worried that at the end of the tenure of this administration, the major projects proposed and promised for the development of Arewa will not be implemented. These projects include:

1. Mambilla hydroelectric dam. Today, more than two years after the announcement of apprval of the project, nothing has happened on the site. In fact the contractors have not mobilise to site to begin serious work. The story going round now is that the project is not cost effective according to the technocrats. What a way to kill a project and sabotage the progress of Arewa.

2, The gas pipe lines from southern gas fields to kaduna and kano: I heard with my own ears from a very high ranking govt official, during the budget defence/public hearing at the national assembly that the govt is still looking for new financiers after the original chinese financial partners introduced a “certain” clouse to the agreement which the govt will not accept. Indeed if the project is important why end the negotiations with the chinese? Clearly another way to kill a project.

1. The proposed 1250mw and 1000mw kano and kaduna power stations:

The gas fuel that will power these power stations will be pumped to the stations through the above gas pipe lines. Without these pipe lines one can say the power station cannot be implimented Another important project killed.

1. Niger repuplic to katsina crude oil pipe line and the katsina refinery:

It was said that the refinery is private investment but the pipe line that will feed the crude oil into the refinery from Niger republic is to be financed jointly with govt. Now all is quite on the northern front.

1. Kano to lagos rail line:

Despite pleas from concerned northerners that the project should simultaneuosly begin from both ends, the project started only from the lagos end. Now the technocrats are saying it will continue from that end where it stopped for the simple reason that the equipment are already located there. Arewa may not see the rail lines anytime soon if ever.

1. Maiduguri to kebbi(through yobe, jigawa, kano, katsina, zamfara, sokoto) rail line.

This rail line will link six northern states in as much the same way that the lagos to calabar will link six southern states with the same socio-economic benefits for these states. The federal govt has invited the Russians to build the lagos to calabar line while at the same time a private American investor is willing to invest $10billion to build the lagos ibadan line. Wont it be fair and advantageous to Nigeria if the Americans are allowed to build the lagos to calabar line while the Russians takeover the construction of the maiduguri to kebbi line? All these should be in line with roads development policies of govt whereby road construction contracts are spread all over Nigeria for the sake of even development.

My advice : A powerful, well equipped and well staffed department for execution,monitoring and implimentation of special projects of national importance should be created under the presidency directly under and answerable to the president. All the above projects and many others should be removed from the ministries and brought fully under the control of this department. This is the best way for the president to ensure that important projects are axecuted at all and on time avoiding unnecessary red tape beaurocracy, corruption and even sabotage.