Senator Diket Plang has spoken out to clear the air about his involvement in reviving the long-delayed Akwanga–Jos–Gombe road project and the bill to establish a Federal Medical Center in Kanke, saying neither effort was sudden or done without due process.
Speaking to journalists at his home in Jos, the Senator rejected claims that lawmakers were taking credit for projects that were not properly planned. He stressed that both the road project and the FMC bill have been in the system for years. “Nobody should say these things just came out of nowhere,” he said.
On the Akwanga–Jos–Gombe dual carriageway, Plang explained that the project was first approved in 2018 under former President Muhammadu Buhari through a foreign loan arrangement. At the time, the road was valued at one billion dollars, with the exchange rate at ₦333 to a dollar, making the total cost ₦333 billion. However, when the financing arrangement collapsed and the naira later fell to over ₦1,500 to a dollar, the cost jumped to more than ₦1.3 trillion. According to him, this made it impossible to fund the project through the normal annual budget of the ministry.
He said this was why he brought a motion in the Senate asking that the road be listed among President Bola Tinubu’s legacy projects. Plang noted that for a long time, the North Central and North East regions had been left out of major federal road and rail projects. “Those areas were almost forgotten when it came to big infrastructure. We pushed for inclusion, and the Senate agreed,” he said.
On the bill for a Federal Medical Center in Kanke, the Senator explained that his proposal had already passed second reading before it was merged with similar bills from other lawmakers. He said the Senate leadership decided to combine them to avoid confusion and ensure order in the law-making process. “The FMC Kanke bill is my bill, and it has followed the proper steps,” he explained.
Plang added that a Federal Medical Center in Kanke would greatly improve healthcare services in Plateau Central and nearby states. “If this hospital is established in Kanke, it will help solve many of the health problems our people face,” he said.
He called on his constituents to follow the process closely and support the efforts instead of playing them down. “When we do something good, encourage us so we can do even more,” the Senator said.
