Former Senate Leader and Senator representing Borno South, Ali Ndume, on Saturday, commended President Bola Tinubu and the Minister of Works, David Umahi, for commencing the reconstruction and dualisation of the 125-kilometre Gombe–Biu highway.
The N1.245 trillion project was officially flagged off on Thursday at Liji in Gombe State.
The event was attended by the Governor of Gombe State, Muhammadu Inuwa Yahaya, the Minister of Works, David Umahi, and the Managing Director of Hi-Tech Construction Company, Danny Abboud.
In a statement issued in Abuja, Ndume described the project as the fulfilment of commitments made by the Tinubu administration to rehabilitate critical road infrastructure in the North-East.
The lawmaker recalled that he had repeatedly drawn attention to the poor condition of the road across successive administrations due to its strategic importance to economic activities, security operations, and regional integration.
He said: “In 2019, during a high-level engagement with the then Minister of Works and Housing, Babatunde Fashola, which I initiated, I expressed concerns regarding the deplorable condition of the Biu–Gombe Road, emphasising its strategic significance to economic integration, inter-state mobility, security operations, and regional development within the North-East subregion.
“Also in July 2021, during an engagement with the Ministry of Works, during deliberations connected to national infrastructure financing frameworks, including projects tied to African Development Bank-supported facilities, I also made a presentation on the urgent need to include the Biu–Gombe corridor within federal rehabilitation priorities, strategic funding windows, and long-term infrastructure development frameworks.
“It is heart warming to note that my interaction with the present Minister of Works, Dave Umahi in a letter dated February 11, 2026, in which I drew his attention to the exclusion of the Biu/Damboa/Maiduguri in Borno State from the 2026 Budget Four Legacy Projects of the present administration finally paid off as the FEC eventually approved the Biu–Gombe Road project under the federal tax credit and infrastructure intervention framework.
“The project was subsequently captured among strategic national road interventions financed through the Nigerian National Petroleum Corporation tax liabilities arrangement.”
Ndume noted that the rehabilitation and dualisation of the highway would boost economic activities and improve connectivity across the North-East, describing it as a critical corridor linking the region with other parts of Nigeria and neighbouring West African countries.
“I want to appreciate Mr President for listening to my calls.
“It is a laudable project that will unlock economic opportunities and improve the quality of life for Nigerians,” he said.
The senator, however, appealed to the Federal Government to extend the road project beyond Biu to Maiduguri, Monguno, Ngala and Yola to further enhance trade, security, and regional integration.
“Like Oliver Twist, we want to appeal to President Tinubu to extend the road network not only to Biu, but to Maiduguri and up to Monguno and Ngala and then down to Yola.
“Those are very critical roads that go down to the border that will also promote inter-country trade and also help in the fight against insurgency because they always take advantage of the bad road to block people and kidnap travellers on that road.”
He expressed confidence that residents of the North-East would appreciate the intervention.
“I am sure that the people of the North East will appreciate this gesture of Mr President and reward him with their votes in the forthcoming general elections.”