Senate Demands Urgent Reconstruction of Bauchi–Ningi Highway, Orders Four-Week Assessment

The Senate on Wednesday called for the immediate rehabilitation and reconstruction of the Bauchi–Ningi Federal Highway, citing its deplorable condition and the growing risks it poses to motorists, commerce and regional connectivity.

The upper chamber also urged the Federal Roads Maintenance Agency (FERMA) to immediately repair failed sections of the highway, describing the road as a critical transport corridor linking Nigeria’s North-East and North-West geopolitical zones.

The resolutions followed the adoption of a motion sponsored by Senator Abdul Ningi (ADC, Bauchi) during plenary.

Presenting the motion, Ningi said the highway, constructed in the 1980s, had suffered decades of neglect without any major rehabilitation despite its strategic importance to interstate movement and economic activities.

According to him, years of abandonment, increasing traffic volume and the absence of routine maintenance have left the road in a state of severe deterioration, with extensive pavement failures, deep potholes and eroded sections that have turned it into what he described as a “death trap” for commuters.

He noted that the poor state of the highway had significantly increased travel time, explaining that a journey of about 100 kilometres between Bauchi and Ningi, which previously took roughly one hour, now takes nearly four hours.

The senator said the deteriorating road has also increased transportation costs, reduced productivity and disrupted commercial activities across the region.

Ningi further warned that motorists are increasingly exposed to road crashes, armed robbery and other security threats, as vehicles are often forced to slow down or remain stranded on damaged portions of the highway.

He added that the continued neglect of the road has adversely affected interstate trade, agricultural value chains and regional integration, undermining the Federal Government’s commitment to economic growth, national connectivity and efficient transportation.

“Unless urgent intervention is undertaken, the continued deterioration of the Bauchi–Ningi Federal Highway will further endanger lives and property, increase transportation costs and worsen the hardship currently faced by Nigerians,” he said.

Supporting the motion, Senator Babangida Hussaini (APC, Jigawa) urged the Federal Government to undertake a comprehensive redesign and reconstruction of the highway rather than temporary repairs.

Following the debate, the Senate 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 and acknowledged the poor condition of the highway.

He said reconstructing the road would enhance economic activities and strengthen connectivity between the North-East and North-West regions.