By Francis Nansak, Lafia

The recent remarks by former Karu Local Government Chairman, Hon. Samuel Akala Gajere, may have been dismissed in some quarters as politically motivated, given that he spoke from an opposition platform. Yet beyond politics, there is substance in the points he raised during his radio interview last week.

Akala’s criticism of the ongoing Karu Twin Bridge project centered on two key arguments. First, while he acknowledged the need to decongest the Mararaba–Abuja federal highway, he questioned whether the state should commit such huge resources to a new bridge when several existing roads in Karu and across Nasarawa State remain abandoned and in disrepair. Second, he argued that rural road rehabilitation should receive equal priority, since those roads directly impact farmers, traders, and patients seeking access to urban health facilities.

In response, the Nasarawa State Government under Governor Abdullahi Sule defended the project. Officials clarified that the Twin Bridge is designed to ease chronic gridlock on the Mararaba–Abuja axis, which costs commuters hours daily and hampers economic activity. The government further highlighted its broader record on infrastructure, noting that the administration has constructed roads across the 13 LGAs, bringing relief to hundreds of rural dwellers who can now move goods to markets and access healthcare more quickly.

Critics of Akala’s position described his comments as misplaced, insisting the bridge is not a misplaced priority but a strategic intervention for a major economic corridor.

However, supporters of the former chairman argue that his intervention was not an attack on the current administration, but an agenda-setting statement for the next government. With elections less than 12 months away, Akala’s submission challenges whoever takes office to balance high-profile urban projects with sustained investment in neglected rural and township roads.

In essence, the “Karu Twin Bridge furore” has done more than spark debate. It has forced a conversation on project prioritization: whether government should focus on signature bridges to decongest federal highways, or spread resources to rehabilitate the many internal roads that rural communities depend on daily.

This brings to mind statements by other political figures eyeing the state’s top seat. Senator Ahmed Wadada Aliyu, in a 2017 political outing, said the continuous neglect of road development in Karu, a major revenue-generating area for the state, indicated that the government had failed to harness a conducive environment for economic growth. He promised to prioritize Karu’s development to open more doors for business.

Also, Honourable David Emmanuel Ombugadu, at a rally in Karu, stated: “Any government that means well for the growth of the state and Karu in particular, and has not addressed the gridlock on the corridor of the FCT, must consider itself a failed administration. If you consider the man-hours lost trying to reach the FCT, either by civil servants or those doing business in Nyanya and the FCT, just because of the traffic on the Mararaba federal highway, it tells you that our economy is tied down by lost man-hours. So in my aspiration, and if elected governor, I will take as first priority the creation of road networks to ease the Mararaba highway of daily traffic congestion.”

Going by the opinions of these leaders, Samuel Akala did not only challenge the current government of Nasarawa State but also set an agenda for the would-be successor of Engineer Abdullahi Sule in 2027.