28/04/2026
Namnai Bridge and the Political Economy of Neglect: A Structural Analysis of Federal Infrastructure Failure in Taraba State,
By Walkalilu Salihu (Barr Khaleed)
The current condition of Namnai Bridge represents more than a local transport failure. It is a visible manifestation of a deeper structural deficit in Nigeria’s federal infrastructure governance, intergovernmental relations, and the political economy of project delivery. As of today, the temporary crossing has been submerged, rendering it impassable to canoes while forcing citizens to abandon vehicles and wade through water. This is not an isolated event but the latest chapter in a recurring pattern of neglect that undermines national connectivity, economic productivity, and citizen security.
The collapse of the original Namnai Bridge in August 2024 severed a critical arterial link between Nigeria’s northern and southern regions. Before its failure, the bridge facilitated the daily movement of tens of thousands of traders, agricultural producers, and commuters. Its loss has disrupted supply chains, increased transaction costs, and isolated communities on both sides of the River Benue. The July 25, 2025 boat mishap that claimed the lives of three members of one family brought the humanitarian cost into sharp focus. As Mr. ABDULMUMINI IMAM recently reminded the public, this tragedy is a poignant reminder of the failure of government at all levels to provide a durable and safe crossing for citizens.
To understand how the situation reached this point, it is necessary to examine Taraba State within the framework of Nigeria’s federal design and developmental history. Created on August 27, 1991, during the military transition program, Taraba was conceived as part of the state creation exercise intended to address regional imbalance, improve administrative reach, and foster national integration. With a landmass of 54,473 square kilometers, Taraba is the third largest state in the Federation after Niger and Borno. Its territory encompasses over 1,400 kilometers of the River Benue, fertile agricultural plains, and an estimated seventy different mineral deposits according to geological surveys conducted by Israeli and Russian teams in the 1980s and again in 2012. The state is also home to the Mambilla Plateau and Gashaka Gumti National Park, assets with significant agricultural, ecological, and tourism potential. Demographically, Taraba’s population comprises more than eighty ethnic groups, making it one of the most diverse subnational units in the country and a microcosm of Nigeria’s pluralism.
Despite these endowments, Taraba has consistently ranked low in federal capital project allocation and completion rates. This is not to suggest an absolute absence of federal presence, but rather a pattern of abandoned or stalled strategic projects that have cumulative effects on development outcomes. The Mambilla Hydroelectric Power Project provides the most striking example. Conceived forty years ago and formally contracted in 2003 at an estimated cost of $6 billion with a designed capacity of 3,050 megawatts, the project remains enmeshed in legal disputes involving the China Export-Import Bank and the Federal Government of Nigeria. The contract has been marred by allegations of corruption, procurement irregularities, and political interference. In comparative terms, Ethiopia’s Grand Renaissance Dam, initiated in 2011 with a capacity of 5,150 megawatts, has progressed to over 90 percent completion despite similar financial and diplomatic complexities. The contrast illustrates how governance capacity and political will determine project outcomes.
The Numan-Jalingo federal road presents another case of institutional failure. Awarded in 2017 to Deux Project Nigeria Limited at ₦11 billion, the 103-kilometer road was abandoned after minimal work. Following a major civil protest in Jalingo on August 1, 2020, work resumed under the Sukuk bond financing mechanism. However, construction has since halted again. The Ibi Bridge project, awarded in 2020 at ₦57 billion with a completion target of 2023, has also stalled. Similarly, the Jarmai-Bashar-Zurak-Andami-Karim Lamido federal road, awarded in 2020 at ₦77 billion and spanning Plateau and Taraba States, has been abandoned at the site. These are not merely delayed contracts but symptoms of a procurement and monitoring system that lacks continuity, accountability, and consequence management.
The Namnai Bridge itself has become emblematic of intergovernmental dysfunction. For one year, the issue was trapped in a blame cycle between federal and state authorities. The Federal Government was slow to initiate emergency response, while the Taraba State Government hesitated to construct a temporary bridge, citing the rejection of a ₦19 billion contract by the Federal Government. This deadlock contrasts sharply with the 2005 response to the collapse of the Nukkai Bridge in Jalingo. On that occasion, coordinated collaboration between federal and state agencies produced a temporary crossing that maintained mobility until a permanent structure was completed. The difference lies in elite consensus and institutional coordination, both of which are currently deficient in Taraba.
A further structural omission is Taraba’s exclusion from the National Railway Modernization Project. As the third largest state by landmass and a border state with the Republic of Cameroon, Taraba’s absence from the rail network is strategically untenable. The Mambilla Plateau, with its temperate climate and agricultural capacity, could serve as a regional food and livestock hub if linked to national rail infrastructure. The exclusion not only undermines economic integration but also limits Nigeria’s logistical capacity for regional security and trade under the African Continental Free Trade Area framework. Kenya’s Standard Gauge Railway and Ethiopia’s Addis Ababa-Djibouti corridor demonstrate how rail infrastructure transforms landlocked and border regions into economic corridors.
The political economy dimension cannot be ignored. In Nigeria’s federal arrangement, project allocation is often influenced by partisan alignment and elite bargaining power. Taraba was governed by the Peoples Democratic Party for sixteen consecutive years from 1999 to 2015 without a corresponding improvement in federal project delivery. Conversely, the 2023 presidential campaign saw the ruling All Progressives Congress candidate decline to visit the state, a symbolic omission that further reinforced perceptions of marginalization. This reflects what political scientists call “alignment politics,” where subnational entities rely on partisan proximity to the center for resource access rather than institutional entitlement.
Elite fragmentation within Taraba has compounded the problem. Identity politics and internal contestations for political power have prevented the emergence of a unified advocacy platform. Unlike states such as Kano or Lagos, where elite consensus has historically been leveraged to secure federal infrastructure, Taraba lacks a coherent lobbying mechanism that transcends party and personal interest. This absence of elite cohesion is a critical variable in explaining the state’s low capture of federal projects.
The implications extend beyond economic hardship. The uncompleted and abandoned projects undermine agricultural productivity, restrict social mobility, and contribute to insecurity. As a border state, Taraba’s poor infrastructure limits Nigeria’s capacity to deploy heavy equipment for strategic purposes in the event of cross-border security threats. The humanitarian and security consequences are therefore national, not merely local.
Addressing this situation requires a multi-layered governance response. First, there must be a transparent audit of all abandoned federal projects in Taraba with clear timelines for completion or termination. The Presidential Infrastructure Development Fund and the Infrastructure Concession Regulatory Commission provide institutional frameworks that can be activated for this purpose. Second, the state government must pursue strategic partnerships at both national and international levels to attract investment in infrastructure, agriculture, and renewable energy. Rwanda’s partnership with the African Development Bank for the Nyabarongo II Hydropower Project illustrates how subnational entities can leverage multilateral financing.
Third, elite consensus is indispensable. Regardless of party affiliation, Taraba’s political leadership must form a non-partisan development coalition to engage the Federal Government and donor agencies. The example of the Niger Delta Development Commission, though imperfect, shows how regional advocacy can secure dedicated funding streams. Fourth, civil society and citizens must sustain evidence-based advocacy using digital platforms, data visualization, and consistent engagement with legislative oversight committees. The EndSARS movement demonstrated the power of coordinated digital activism in shaping policy response.
From a constitutional perspective, Section 14(2)(b) of the 1999 Constitution obligates government to ensure the security and welfare of the people as the primary purpose of governance. Section 16(1)(b) mandates the state to control the national economy to secure maximum welfare and social justice. The continued neglect of Namnai Bridge and related projects constitutes a failure to meet these constitutional obligations.
The historical record shows that infrastructure neglect is not new to Nigeria’s federal system. However, the frequency and persistence of such neglect in Taraba suggest a governance gap that must be closed. The United Nations Sustainable Development Goal 9 emphasizes resilient infrastructure as a foundation for inclusive growth. Nigeria’s own National Development Plan 2021-2025 identifies infrastructure as a key pillar for economic diversification.
In conclusion, Namnai Bridge is not just a collapsed structure. It is a test of Nigeria’s federal commitment to equitable development and its capacity to translate natural endowment into public welfare. The clamour for action is now sufficient to warrant immediate presidential intervention and a renewed synergy between the Federal Government and the Taraba State Government under Governor H.E Dr. Agbu Kefas. Taraba’s strategic location, resource base, and demographic diversity make it a genuine national asset. It is time for policy and practice to reflect that reality.
The people of Taraba deserve more than temporary solutions and political rhetoric. They deserve a durable bridge, a functional road network, and a government that treats their welfare as a national priority. May the institutions respond with urgency, competence, and accountability.
Walkalilu Salihu✍🏻
Political Scientist | International Relations Scholar | Policy Analyst | Constitutional Legal-Man | Deep-Thinker | Gospeller.
