The Presidency has dismissed claims by Senator Rabiu Kwankwaso that the administration of President Bola Tinubu is prioritising infrastructure development in southern Nigeria at the expense of the northern region.
Kwankwaso, presidential candidate of the New Nigeria Peoples Party (NNPP) in the 2023 general election, raised the concerns during a stakeholder dialogue on constitutional amendments in Kano on Thursday.
He alleged that federal projects were unevenly distributed, citing the state of the Abuja-Kaduna-Kano highway, which he described as “hell” for travellers. The former Kano State governor contrasted this with what he viewed as better infrastructure in the South.
“Yesterday, I was to come by air; unfortunately, my airline shifted our take-off from 3 p.m. to 8 p.m. I had to come by road. From Abuja to Kaduna to Kano was hell, a terrible, very bad road.
“And this is a road that was started many years ago, right from the beginning of the leadership of the All Progressives Congress (APC). Now we are told that there is a road from the South to the East,” Kwankwaso stated.
Responding in a post on X, formerly Twitter, on Friday, the President’s Special Adviser on Media and Public Communication, Sunday Dare, rejected the senator’s assertions, insisting that the administration has shown clear dedication to developing the North through wide-ranging infrastructure and social intervention programmes.
“The claim that Northern Nigeria has been left behind is incorrect,” Dare wrote.
“The Tinubu administration has initiated and continued several landmark projects in the North, covering roads, agriculture, healthcare, and energy.”
He listed key projects including the Abuja-Kaduna-Kano Expressway, Sokoto-Badagry Expressway, and the Sokoto-Zamfara-Katsina Road.
In agriculture, Dare pointed to the $158.15 million Agriculture Value Chain Programme spanning nine northern states, the Kolmani Integrated Development Project in Bauchi and Gombe, and the World Bank-backed Agro-Climatic Resilience in Semi-Arid Landscapes (ACReSAL) scheme aimed at restoring more than one million hectares of degraded land.
Healthcare investments were also noted, with upgrades underway at Ahmadu Bello University Teaching Hospital in Zaria, Federal Teaching Hospital Katsina, and University of Jos Teaching Hospital, as well as the refurbishment of over 1,000 primary healthcare centres across the region.
On transport, Dare cited rail projects such as the Kaduna-Kano and Kano-Maradi lines, connecting Nigeria to Niger Republic, and the rehabilitation of Abuja’s light rail system.
Energy developments include the ABIBA 50 MW Solar Power Station in Kaduna, along with major road reconstruction efforts like the Zaria-Funtua-Gusau-Sokoto Dual Carriageway, Dikwa-Gamboru-Ngala Road, and Kaduna-Jos Single Carriageway.
Dare concluded that within two years, President Tinubu’s administration has laid the groundwork for sustainable growth in northern Nigeria, contrary to Kwankwaso’s claims of marginalisation.