Senators from the Southeast have lamented the exclusion of the region from the Federal government’s N380bn intervention under the Renewed Hope Infrastructure Development Fund.

The Senators, in a motion moved during Thursday’s plenary by Senator Kenneth Eze representing Ebonyi Central Senatorial zone, lamented that no money was allocated to the zone out of the total sum of N380bn in the 2025 budget.

He said: “In the 2025 Appropriations Act, the sum of N3.2 trillion was allocated under the Renewed Hope Infrastructure Development Fund, out of which N380 billion was earmarked specifically for Irrigation Development Projects to be implemented through the various River Basin Development Authorities, RBDAs.

“This is part of the Federal Government’s strategy to boost agricultural production, ensure food security, and create jobs across the country.

Senator Eze observed that although the intention of the project is national, the actual implementation plan, as designed excluded Anambra-Imo River Basin Development Authority, which is the only River Basin Authority serving the entire South East geopolitical zone.

Giving a breakdown, the Senator revealed that the Benin, Owena RBDA in the South South/South West got N42.2Bn, the Chad Basin RBDA in the North East got N40bn while the Hadejia Jama’are RBDA in the NorthWest/North East got N66.96bn.

Others are; Ogun Osun RBDA(SOUTH WEST) N45.4bn; Sokoto Rima RBDA (NORTH WEST) N43bn; Upper Benue(NORTH EAST) N40 BN and Upper Niger RBDA (NORTH CENTRAL/NORTH WEST) N24bn.

Senator Eze noted that the National Appropriations Act is the most important policy and legal instrument through which the Federal Government allocates resources for national development, ensuring equitable distribution of resources, and socioe cono mic transformation;

He, however, expressed concern at the total exclusion of the South East geo-political zone and Anambra-Imo River Basin Development Authority from this critical national development intervention.

He argued that the exclusion is not only unjustifiable but also contradicts the spirit of equity, justice, and balanced development that forms the cornerstone of President Bola Tinubu’s Renewed Hope Agenda of the president.

He noted that the South East zone is blessed with vast arable and fertile lands across Enugu, Ebonyi, Imo, Abia, and Anambra States, and has historically contributed significantly to Nigeria’s agricultural sector with cash crops such as oil palm, cassava, yam, rice, and vegetables.

According to him, a recent open data source report indicates that the South East accounts for over 30% of national yam production, over 15% of Nigeria’s cassava and remains a major hub for rice farming through schemes like IFAD-VCDP and FADAMA projects, among others;

He explained that there are ongoing and proposed irrigation projects and dams across the region that would readily benefit from the Renewed Hope Infrastructure Funds.

He listed some of them as Ozara Okangwu Agri-Business Cluster, which requires a mini-dam on the Etsu River (Ebonyi State), the lvo Dam Irrigation Project (Enugu/Ebonyi States) Item Amegu Rice Farm Dam (Ebonyi State) Amauzari Earth Dam (Imo State) Ifite Ogwari/Omor Dam (Anambra State).

Senator Eze expressed worry that the exclusion of these projects of national importance and other critical interventions not only risks undermining the region’s agricultural potential but the current administration’s economic rejuvenation efforts.

He further said that the exclusion could also deepen the perennial perceptions of marginalization and inequity in federal projects and resource distribution.

“The Constitution vests in the National Assembly the power to make laws for the peace, order, and good governance of the Federation or any part thereof.

“It also further mandates the National Assembly to ensure equity, justice, and balanced development across the country through legislation including the Appropriations Act”, the Senator noted.

He therefore urged the Senate to urge the Federal Government to take remedial actions to correct the omission.

Seconding the motion, Senator Osita Ngwu representing Enugu West described the omission as a very expensive one, adding that the South-East cannot continually be treated the way Nigeria is treating the South-East.

He noted that one of the omitted dams in the Southeast, the Ivo Dam, was last funded about 12 years ago, with only N5 billion spent on it and has remained abandoned for the last 12 years.

” I have written three letters to the Ministry of Water Resources. We have done everything possible to see if they can bring up Ivo Dam.

“But a zone is allocated N66 billion, and the entire South-East has zero. What kind of omission is that, Mr President? We should be treated better than this”, he said.