Speaker of the Bauchi State House of Assembly, Rt. Hon. Dr. Abubakar Y. Suleiman, has called on the Federal Government to include the rehabilitation of the Bauchi–Kano Federal Highway in the 2026 national budget.
The Speaker made the appeal in a letter addressed to both the Senate and the House of Representatives, according to a statement issued on Friday by his spokesperson, Mukhtar Garba Kobi.
He said the 138-kilometre Bauchi–Ningi–Jigawa–Kano road, which links parts of the Northeast and North-Central to Kano — the region’s commercial hub — has become nearly impassable due to years of neglect.
“The highway carries huge volumes of traffic daily but has deteriorated to an unimaginable level, causing frequent accidents and loss of lives and property,” he said.
Dr. Suleiman noted that travel time along the route has significantly increased, particularly between Bauchi and Babaldu, which now takes several hours instead of less than one hour.
He recalled that a 10-kilometre stretch of the road, from Bauchi Airport Junction to Futuru village, was rehabilitated in 2023. However, he said the work was suspended in early 2024 due to lack of funding and was omitted from the 2024 and 2025 budgets.
The Speaker added that he had also written to the Federal Emergency Road Maintenance Agency (FERMA), urging the agency to revisit earlier discussions and expedite action on the road.
“I am appealing to the National Assembly and the House Committee on Appropriation to allocate sufficient funds to FERMA to ensure that this vital road is captured in the 2026 budget,” he said.
Dr. Suleiman stressed that the call was part of his efforts to ease the hardship faced by residents of Ningi Central and neighbouring communities who depend on the highway for trade, movement, and emergency services.
