The Presidency has dismissed allegations made by Senator Rabiu Musa Kwankwaso, former Kano State governor and 2023 NNPP presidential candidate, claiming the North is being marginalized in federal infrastructure development under President Bola Tinubu’s administration.
Kwankwaso had voiced his concerns during a stakeholders’ dialogue on the 2025 constitutional amendment in Kano, criticizing the poor state of the Abuja-Kaduna-Kano highway and suggesting that the southern regions were receiving more attention in infrastructure investment.
“From Abuja to Kaduna to Kano was hell,” Kwankwaso said, recounting his experience traveling by road after a flight delay. “Meanwhile, we are told there’s a new road being built in the South to the East.”
In response, the Special Adviser to the President on Media and Public Communication, Sunday Dare, took to X (formerly Twitter) on Friday to counter the claim, emphasizing that Tinubu’s administration has launched and continued numerous key projects across Northern Nigeria.
“The claim that Northern Nigeria has been left behind is incorrect,” Dare stated. “The Tinubu administration has initiated and is executing several landmark projects in the North, spanning roads, agriculture, healthcare, and energy.”
Key Northern Projects Highlighted Include:
- Roads: Abuja-Kaduna-Kano Expressway, Sokoto-Badagry Expressway, Sokoto-Zamfara-Katsina Road, Zaria-Funtua-Gusau-Sokoto Dual Carriageway, and Dikwa-Gamboru-Ngala Road.
- Agriculture: $158.15 million Agriculture Value Chain Programme across nine northern states, the Kolmani Integrated Development Project in Bauchi and Gombe, and the World Bank–funded ACReSAL project.
- Healthcare: Upgrades to Ahmadu Bello University Teaching Hospital (Zaria), Federal Teaching Hospital (Katsina), University of Jos Teaching Hospital, and over 1,000 rehabilitated primary healthcare centers across the region.
- Rail: Kaduna-Kano Rail Line, Kano-Maradi Rail Line linking Nigeria to Niger Republic, and Abuja Light Rail rehabilitation.
- Energy: ABIBA 50 MW Solar Power Station in Kaduna and other solar initiatives across the North.
Dare stressed that these projects form part of President Tinubu’s long-term plan to stimulate inclusive development and economic growth nationwide.
“In just two years, President Tinubu has laid the groundwork for sustainable infrastructure and development in the North,” Dare concluded, urging critics to consider the broader national impact of current federal initiatives.
