Femi Gbajabiamila, Chief of Staff to the President, has disclosed that during his tenure as Speaker of the House of Representatives, the Federal Government expressed dissatisfaction with the House's decision to withhold approval of a major foreign infrastructure loan because it excluded projects in the South-East region.
Speaking at the induction programme for newly inaugurated commissioners of the Federal Character Commission in Abuja on Tuesday, Gbajabiamila emphasized the importance of equitable distribution of national resources to promote unity and fairness across Nigeria's geopolitical zones.
He recounted that the House, under his leadership, subjected the loan request to thorough scrutiny and discovered that the proposed infrastructure projects were distributed across all regions except the South-East. Lawmakers refused to pass the loan for several months, holding it in abeyance until the executive branch committed to including the South-East in the infrastructural allocations.
"We refused to pass it for months and kept it in abeyance until we were able to extract the commitment of the government to include the South-East in the loan infrastructural distribution," Gbajabiamila stated.
He noted that the government at the time was unhappy with this stance, but maintained that excluding one region while others benefited from a national loan created an appearance of discrimination and undermined national cohesion.
Gbajabiamila's revelation highlights the critical role of legislative oversight in ensuring regional equity in federal borrowing and project implementation.
The incident, which echoes earlier events such as the 2020 suspension of consideration for a $22.7 billion loan request under similar concerns, underscores ongoing efforts to uphold the principles of federal character and inclusive development.
The Chief of Staff commended the Federal Character Commission for its mandate to promote fairness and balance in public appointments and resource allocation, urging continued vigilance to prevent marginalization and foster national unity.