The Presidency has pushed back against comments by Senator Rabiu Musa Kwankwaso, who accused the federal government of sidelining Northern Nigeria under the current administration of President Bola Tinubu.
Kwankwaso, who contested the 2023 presidential election on the platform of the New Nigeria Peoples Party (NNPP), made the remarks during a stakeholders’ dialogue on the 2025 constitutional amendment in Kano on Thursday.
He said the distribution of national resources appears to favour the South, warning that such imbalance is worsening poverty and insecurity in the North. He also criticised the poor state of infrastructure in the region, particularly federal roads.
“I was forced to travel by road from Abuja to Kano through Kaduna after my flight was cancelled, and it was hell. The roads are in terrible shape,” Kwankwaso said.
In response, the Special Adviser to the President on Media and Public Communication, Sunday Dare, dismissed Kwankwaso’s claims in a post shared on his X handle on Friday.
“The claim that Northern Nigeria has been left behind is incorrect. The Tinubu administration has initiated and continued several landmark projects in the North, covering roads, agriculture, healthcare, and energy,” Dare said.
He listed several ongoing projects, including the Abuja–Kaduna–Kano Expressway, Sokoto–Badagry Super Highway, and the Ajaokuta–Kaduna–Kano Gas Pipeline, as evidence of the government’s efforts in the region.
Dare also pointed to the $158.15 million Agriculture Value Chain programme across nine Northern states and the Kolmani Integrated Development Project located in Bauchi and Gombe States. He mentioned the Agro-Climatic Resilience in Semi-Arid Landscapes (ACReSAL) initiative, which targets the restoration of one million hectares of degraded land.
On health, Dare said major facilities such as Ahmadu Bello University Teaching Hospital in Zaria, University of Jos Teaching Hospital, and the Federal Medical Centre in Nguru have seen expansions and new investments. He added that about 1,000 primary healthcare centres across the North are undergoing revitalisation.
For roads, he named the Kano–Kongolam Road, Kaduna–Jos Road, Kano–Maiduguri Dual Carriageway, and rehabilitation works in Borno and Adamawa states.
He also noted that the Ajaokuta–Kaduna–Kano Gas Pipeline, the Gwagwalada Power Plant, and planned solar power projects in Kaduna are among the key energy initiatives. Rail projects, according to Dare, include the Kaduna–Kano and Kano–Maradi lines, as well as the rehabilitation of the Abuja Metro.
“Northern Nigeria is not left behind. From road networks to gas pipelines, agriculture, health, and rail, this administration has the North well covered,” he said.
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