The Presidency has dismissed as unfounded the recent claims by Senator Rabiu Musa Kwankwaso that President Bola Tinubu’s administration is marginalising Northern Nigeria.
Kwankwaso, the 2023 presidential candidate of the New Nigeria Peoples Party (NNPP), had during a stakeholders’ dialogue on the 2025 constitutional amendment in Kano on Thursday, lamented worsening poverty, insecurity, and what he termed lopsided allocation of national resources in favour of the South.
The former Kano governor cited the poor state of northern infrastructure, particularly federal roads, recounting a harrowing road trip from Abuja to Kano after his flight was cancelled, which he described as “hellish.”
Reacting on Friday via his official X handle, the Special Adviser to the President on Media and Public Communication, Sunday Dare, said Kwankwaso’s remarks were not only inaccurate but also ignored the “landmark” projects being executed in the North.
“The claim that Northern Nigeria has been left behind is incorrect. The Tinubu administration has initiated and sustained several critical projects in the North, spanning roads, agriculture, health, and energy,” Dare stated.
He listed key infrastructure initiatives such as the Abuja–Kaduna–Kano Expressway, Sokoto–Badagry Super Highway, and the ongoing construction of the Ajaokuta–Kaduna–Kano Gas Pipeline as evidence of federal commitment to northern development.
In agriculture, Dare cited a $158.15 million Agriculture Value Chain Development Programme across nine northern states and the Kolmani Integrated Development Project straddling Bauchi and Gombe States.
He also highlighted the Agro-Climatic Resilience in Semi-Arid Landscapes (ACReSAL) project, which aims to rehabilitate one million hectares of degraded land in the region.
According to the presidential spokesman, over 1,000 primary healthcare centres across the North are being revitalised, while major federal hospitals such as the Ahmadu Bello University Teaching Hospital, Zaria; the University of Jos Teaching Hospital; and the Federal Medical Centre, Nguru are undergoing expansion.
Dare added that work is progressing on major road corridors including the Kano–Kongolam Road, Kaduna–Jos Road, and the Kano–Maiduguri Dual Carriageway, while the North is also benefitting from multiple energy and rail interventions.
“Projects like the 614km Ajaokuta–Kaduna–Kano Gas Pipeline, the Gwagwalada Power Plant, solar energy initiatives in Kaduna, and railway developments such as the Kano–Maradi and Kaduna–Kano lines demonstrate the government’s robust agenda for the region,” he said.
He reaffirmed that the Tinubu-led administration remains committed to inclusive national development and warned against politicising infrastructural challenges.
“From roads to rail, gas pipelines to hospitals and agriculture, Northern Nigeria is not left behind. The facts speak clearly,” Dare stressed.
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