Billions Borrowed But Where Is The South East ? Fresh FEC Rail Approvals Spark National Debate

BILLIONS BORROWED, BUT WHERE IS THE SOUTH-EAST?” — FRESH FEC RAIL APPROVALS SPARK NATIONAL DEBATE OVER INFRASTRUCTURE INJUSTICE

• Njoku Macdonald Obinna

Abuja, Nigeria🇳🇬

The Federal Executive Council’s latest approval of multi-billion-dollar railway and urban transport projects in Lagos, Kano, and Kaduna has ignited renewed outrage and difficult national conversations over what many now describe as a persistent pattern of infrastructural exclusion against the South-East region.

At the center of the growing controversy is a question many Nigerians are beginning to ask more boldly: Can a nation truly claim unity when development repeatedly moves in one direction?

For years, railway infrastructure has remained one of the strongest symbols of economic power, industrial growth, and federal presence. Nations invest heavily in rail because it drives commerce, connects markets, reduces transportation costs, creates jobs, and opens forgotten regions to investment opportunities.

Yet, despite billions of dollars committed to rail expansion under successive administrations, the South-East continues to remain largely absent from Nigeria’s modern railway map.

Under former President Muhammadu Buhari, major railway projects dominated national infrastructure spending including the Lagos-Ibadan standard gauge rail, Kaduna-Kano rail modernization, and the controversial Kano-Maradi rail extension linking Nigeria to neighbouring Niger Republic.

The Kano-Maradi project particularly triggered widespread criticism after reports revealed that Nigeria planned to spend enormous public funds extending rail infrastructure into another country while many domestic economic corridors in the South-East remained neglected.

Now, under President Bola Ahmed Tinubu’s administration, new approvals have once again prioritized rail development in Lagos, Kano, and Kaduna, with no major federal railway project announced for the South-East.

To many observers, the pattern is no longer coincidental. Economic analysts argue that the issue goes beyond politics or sentiment. They insist it raises serious structural questions about fairness, federal balance, and how national resources are distributed.

“These projects are funded through sovereign loans taken in the name of Nigeria not Lagos, Kano, or Kaduna alone,” one policy analyst noted. “Every region will share in repaying the debt, yet not every region appears to share equally in the benefits.”

That argument has gained increasing traction across political and civic circles.

Nigeria’s external borrowings are backed largely by national revenues, with crude oil exports remaining central to the country’s financial credibility before international lenders. Much of that oil wealth originates from the South-South and adjoining regions in the South-East.

Critics therefore argue that regions contributing significantly to the country’s economic survival deserve visible federal infrastructure presence not repeated exclusion from strategic national projects.

More importantly, railway infrastructure today represents far more than transportation.

It determines economic relevance.

Cities connected by rail naturally attract industries, logistics investments, manufacturing hubs, housing expansion, and commercial opportunities. Regions excluded from such networks risk slower economic growth, reduced competitiveness, and widening developmental gaps.

This explains why the latest FEC approvals have provoked emotional and political reactions across the country.

For many Nigerians, especially youths, the frustration is no longer hidden.

They question how a country can continue centralizing borrowing while decentralizing development benefits to selected regions.

The conversation has now moved beyond rail tracks and locomotives. It has become a broader national discussion about inclusion, equity, and the future of Nigeria’s unity.

As debates intensify, many citizens insist that what the South-East seeks is not favoritism, but fairness an opportunity to feel visibly included in the national development framework.

Because in the end, infrastructure is not just concrete and steel.

It is a statement of who matters in the national equation.

Njoku MacDonald Obinna

Media Consultant|Newspaper Columnist|Public Analyst|PR- Expert

Publisher

4TH ESTATE REPORTERS

4th Estate Reporters

ABOUT THE PUBLISHER

Njoku Macdonald Obinna is a distinguished media consultant, public relations expert, and publisher of 4th Estate Reporters. With an impressive career spanning over 2 decades in the media and communications industry, he has built a solid reputation for excellence, strategic insight, and impactful storytelling.

Macdonald had served as a Correspondent with Ben TV London in Port Harcourt , and had also featured very prominently in national newspapers before establishing his media outfit.

He is the South East and South - South Business Operations Manager of Excel International Media group, and had attended a couple of international conferences outside Nigeria.

As an award- winning media personality, Macdonald has used his wealth of experience in communications strategy and public engagements to promote African culture and festivities, sports development, political leadership, and traditional institutions.

He has executed social documentaries and corporate profiling of both companies and individuals, leveraging media and public relations to enhance organizations profile and activities.

 info@4thestatereporters.com  http://4thestatereporters.com