Dr. Josef Onoh, former campaign spokesman for President Bola Tinubu in the Southeast, has harshly criticized northern comedian Muhammad Jamil, also known as Jadda Garko, calling him a nondescript and insignificant figure after Garko accused Minister of Works Engr. Dave Umahi of neglecting road infrastructure in the North in favour of the South.
Onoh expressed that he would have dismissed Garko’s uninformed and ethnically biased comments as inconsequential, but felt compelled to correct the record to prevent the comedian from misleading well-informed northerners and Nigerians at large.
Garko had alleged in Abuja that Umahi was a tribalist who has prioritized road projects in the South over those in the North.
In his response, Onoh stated that individuals like Garko perpetuate division in the country due to their ignorance, stressing that since Tinubu’s administration began, Garko and others have exploited ethnic tensions merely because a southerner won the 2023 presidential election. Onoh challenged Garko to first address the insecurity that his ilk have contributed to in the North, which poses a significant challenge to road construction in those areas.
“Despite Garko’s outbursts, President Bola Ahmed Tinubu’s Renewed Hope road infrastructure projects have been fairly distributed across all six geopolitical zones of Nigeria, with more roads constructed in the North than in the South,” Onoh asserted.
“For the record, the Honourable Minister of Works is diligently executing the President’s Renewed Hope blueprint to fairly implement road infrastructure projects nationwide, including those funded by the budget and other alternatives such as the Renewed Hope Legacy road projects, ongoing inherited projects, and emergency interventions.
“Currently, out of 2,735 kilometers of the Renewed Hope Legacy projects, the North accounts for 1,414 kilometers, while the South has 1,321 kilometers, representing 52 percent for the North and 48 percent for the South. Of the 82 ongoing Sukuk-funded projects, 45 are in the North and 37 in the South. Regarding the 260 emergency projects, 98 are underway in the South and 108 in the North. Among the 44 projects executed under the Road Tax Credit Scheme, 23 are in the North, and 21 are in the South.
“On September 23, 2024, the Federal Executive Council approved the construction of a 258-kilometer, three-lane carriageway with continuously reinforced concrete pavement in Kebbi and Sokoto States, part of the 1,000-kilometer Sokoto-Badagry superhighway. The council also greenlit the completion of the Bodo-Bonny Road with bridges across the Opobo Channel in Rivers State, the rescoping and downward review of the Abuja-Kaduna-Zaria-Kano dual carriageway, and other rehabilitation projects in Kogi State and various flood-affected sections nationwide.
“In the North, significant expansions and constructions, including the Mararaba-Keffi road (43.65 km), Lafia Bypass Road, and the dualization of the 9th Mile (Enugu)–Otukpo–Makurdi road project, are underway, alongside various rehabilitation efforts on major highways throughout the region.
“Finally, I advise Garko to focus on crafting effective campaign slogans for aspiring politicians ahead of the 2027 elections. Politics and public service require serious dedication, far removed from the casual atmosphere of a recording studio,” Onoh concluded.
