Kano, Nigeria
Former Kano State governor and 2023 NNPP presidential candidate, Senator Rabiu Musa Kwankwaso, has accused President Bola Ahmed Tinubu’s administration of disproportionately favouring one region in the allocation of national resources, thereby neglecting Northern Nigeria.
Speaking on Thursday at a stakeholders’ forum on the proposed 2025 constitutional amendments in Kano, Kwankwaso criticised what he identified as a “tilted arrangement” in resource distribution. He argued that infrastructure and development initiatives were largely concentrated in the southern part of the country, deepening poverty and insecurity across the North .
He emphasised that federal funds and projects appear skewed, while vital northern roads remain in poor condition, recounting his own harrowing overland journey from Abuja to Kano via Kaduna due to a cancelled flight. Kwankwaso described the trip as dreadful and symptomatic of the region’s infrastructural neglect.
Kwankwaso further singled out political elites and lawmakers for failing to advocate effectively for the North. He warned that budget decisions were often manipulated under influence, resulting in neglect for his region: “Mismanagement of resources by leaders … has created inequality in resource sharing in the country” .
Presidency Responds: North Not Overlooked, Key Projects Underway
In turn, the Presidency swiftly rejected the claims, with Special Adviser on Media and Public Communication, Monday Dare, branding them misleading. Posting on his official X account on Friday, Dare insisted the Tinubu administration has made significant investments across the North in roads, agriculture, healthcare, and energy .
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Dare detailed ongoing federal initiatives in the region, including major transport infrastructure like the Abuja–Kaduna–Kano expressway and the Sokoto–Badagry superhighway. He also underscored the multi-billion-dollar Ajaokuta–Kaduna–Kano Gas Pipeline project, which stretches some 614 kilometres .
Other highlighted priorities include agricultural programmes such as the $158.15 million Agricultural Value Chain project spanning nine northern states, and the Kolmani Integrated Development initiative in Bauchi and Gombe. The Agro-Climatic Resilience in Semi-Arid Landscapes (ACReSAL) initiative, designed to restore degraded land over a million hectares, was also mentioned .
In healthcare, the administration points to enhancements at teaching hospitals in Zaria, Jos, and Nguru, as well as upgrades to approximately 1,000 primary health centres across Northern states . Rail, energy, and urban transit investments include the Kaduna–Kano rail line, Kano–Maradi rail link, solar energy projects in Kaduna, and a Gwagwalada power plant, not to mention maintenance efforts on the Abuja Metro.
Ongoing Debate: Perspectives Remain Sharply Divided
The confrontation between Kwankwaso’s claims of marginalisation and the administration’s list of completed and active projects underscores a broader national debate: is the North truly being sidelined or is development simply taking time to match rhetoric with reality?
Kwankwaso urges lawmakers to prioritize equitable representation in resource allocation and for the government to show concrete fairness across all regions. Meanwhile, the Presidency insists its development agenda includes the North as a priority and emphasizes that progress is measurable and ongoing.
With pressure mounting ahead of the 2027 election cycle, the discourse around regional balance and inclusion in national development is poised to intensify.
