SSANU President decries poor state of roads linking N’East
The National President of the Senior Staff Association of Nigerian Universities (SSANU) Comrade Muhammad Haruna, has decried the poor state of roads linking the North-East region, saying some of them are worse than roads in war-torn South Sudan.
Haruna stated this on Wednesday in Jalingo, the Taraba State capital, during the 11th National Zonal Executive Meeting of the union.
He expressed concern over what he described as the consistent neglect of the zone by the Federal Government in terms of infrastructure, security, and human development.
“Roads linking Taraba from anywhere are worse than those in South Sudan. Taraba, like other states in the North-East, is not being fairly treated. The politicisation of security in this region is pathetic,” he said
The SSANU leader questioned why federal roads in the region could not match the standards seen in cities like Lagos, Ibadan, Kano, and Kaduna, despite the North-East’s strategic importance to the country.
“Other than Benue, no state in Nigeria produces as much food as Taraba. So, there’s no justification for the Federal Government’s continued neglect of this region,” he said, adding that while the state government was making efforts, the situation required urgent federal intervention.
On the issue of security, Haruna called for a more robust and non-political approach to policing the region.
“There should be effective policing, not just checkpoints where security personnel extort money from the less privileged. Security operatives should be deployed with a clear mandate to protect Nigerians, not to serve as escorts to politicians’ wives,” he added.
