The Presidency has strongly pushed back against recent remarks by Senator Rabiu Musa Kwankwaso, former presidential candidate of the New Nigeria Peoples Party (NNPP), who claimed that the northern region has been sidelined under President Bola Ahmed Tinubu’s leadership.
Kwankwaso voiced his concerns during a stakeholders’ meeting in Kano focused on the upcoming 2025 constitutional review. He alleged that the allocation of national resources increasingly favours the South, which he said has worsened poverty and insecurity in the North.
He also decried the deteriorating condition of federal roads in the region, citing a personal ordeal where a cancelled flight compelled him to make a difficult road journey from Abuja to Kano through Kaduna.
In response, the Special Adviser to the President on Media and Public Communication, Sunday Dare, addressed the issue in a statement posted on his official X account. He described Kwankwaso’s claims as unfounded and pointed out that the Tinubu administration is actively executing numerous development projects in Northern Nigeria.
Dare emphasized that key infrastructure and socio-economic programmes are being implemented across various northern states. These include road construction projects such as the Abuja–Kaduna–Kano Expressway, the Sokoto–Badagry Super Highway, and the Ajaokuta–Kaduna–Kano Gas Pipeline.
- Nigeria’s First Ebola Patient Identified as Wife of Swiss Diplomat as Authorities Probe Source of Infection
Nigeria’s latest Ebola case has been traced to a 42-year-old… - MURIC Seeks Police Probe into Alleged Killing of Man Inside Oyo Mosque
The Muslim Rights Concern (MURIC) has petitioned the police over…Read More “MURIC Seeks Police Probe into Alleged Killing of Man Inside Oyo Mosque” »
He also mentioned a significant $158.15 million Agriculture Value Chain initiative being rolled out in nine northern states, along with the Kolmani Integrated Development Project located in Bauchi and Gombe states. The Agro-Climatic Resilience in Semi-Arid Landscapes (ACReSAL) project, aimed at rehabilitating one million hectares of degraded land, is another example of targeted federal intervention.
Healthcare improvements were also highlighted. According to Dare, institutions such as Ahmadu Bello University Teaching Hospital in Zaria, University of Jos Teaching Hospital, and the Federal Medical Centre in Nguru have received upgrades. He added that approximately 1,000 primary healthcare centres in the North are currently being revitalized.
Other road projects cited include the Kano–Kongolam Road, Kaduna–Jos Road, and the Kano–Maiduguri Dual Carriageway, as well as major rehabilitation works in Borno and Adamawa states.
Dare further drew attention to developments in the energy sector, including the ongoing Ajaokuta–Kaduna–Kano Gas Pipeline (614km), the Gwagwalada Power Plant, and planned solar energy projects in Kaduna. Railway developments under construction include the Kaduna–Kano Rail Line, the Kano–Maradi Rail Line, and the ongoing rehabilitation of the Abuja Metro.
He concluded by stating that the North is being actively developed and is not being left out of the national agenda.
