Senate Pushes for Urgent Bauchi-Ningi Highway Reconstruction

The Nigerian Senate has called on the Federal Ministry of Works to commence the immediate rehabilitation and reconstruction of the Bauchi-Ningi Federal Highway following its deplorable condition.

It also called on the Federal Roads Maintenance Agency (FERMA) to urgently rehabilitate the failed sections of the road, citing its strategic importance as a major link between the North East and North West geopolitical zones.
The resolution followed the adoption of a motion at Wednesday’s plenary, sponsored by Senator Abdul Ningi (ADC–Bauchi) under Orders 41 and 51 of the Senate Standing Rules.

Senator Ningi described the Bauchi-Ningi Federal Highway as a vital transport corridor connecting the North East and North West. He noted that the road, constructed in the 1980s, had suffered decades of neglect without any major rehabilitation.
The senator said years of abandonment, increasing traffic volume, and the absence of routine maintenance had reduced the highway to a state of total disrepair, with extensive pavement failures, deep potholes, and eroded sections that now pose serious danger to commuters. He added that a journey of about 100 kilometres between Bauchi and Ningi, which previously took about one hour, now takes nearly four hours, resulting in higher transportation costs, loss of productive man-hours, and disruption of economic activities.
Ningi further warned that the deteriorating condition of the road had exposed travellers to frequent road accidents, armed robbery, and other security threats, as vehicles are often forced to slow down or remain stranded on damaged sections. He expressed concern that the continued neglect of the highway was adversely affecting interstate commerce, agricultural value chains, and regional integration, thereby undermining the Federal Government’s commitment to economic growth, national connectivity, and transportation.
He cautioned that unless urgent intervention was taken, the continued deterioration of the Bauchi-Ningi Federal Highway would further endanger lives and property, increase transportation costs, worsen economic hardship, and hinder commercial activities.
Contributing to the debate, Senator Babangida Hussaini (APC–Jigawa) urged the Federal Government to redesign and reconstruct the highway in view of its poor condition. The Senate subsequently mandated its Committee on Works to conduct an on-the-spot assessment of the road, engage relevant stakeholders, and report back to the chamber within four weeks with recommendations for legislative action.
Deputy President of the Senate, Senator Barau Jibrin (APC–Kano), who presided over the session, commended the sponsor of the motion, acknowledging the deplorable state of the highway. He expressed optimism that its reconstruction would further promote economic activities across the affected geopolitical zones.