The Director-General of the Budget Office of the Federation, Tanimu Yakubu, has dismissed claims that President Bola Tinubu’s administration is marginalising Northern Nigeria, revealing that over 50 per cent of the federal capital projects for 2024 and 2025 were allocated to the region.
Yakubu made this disclosure while responding to recent criticisms from prominent Northern leaders, including former Kano State Governor, Rabiu Musa Kwankwaso; ex-Secretary to the Government of the Federation, Babachir Lawal; and Chairman of the Arewa Consultative Forum’s Board of Trustees, Bashir Dalhatu. The trio had accused the federal government of sidelining the North in its developmental agenda.
However, Yakubu described their remarks as “politically motivated narratives,” stressing that the region has been a major beneficiary of federal investments under the Tinubu-led government.
“Contrary to the notion of marginalisation, Northern Nigeria is not on the margins. It is, in fact, at the centre of Nigeria’s capital investment priorities,” Yakubu said.
According to him, more than half of the capital budget for 2024 and 2025 was earmarked for major projects in the North when critical infrastructure such as national trunk roads and water basin schemes are taken into account.
Key projects cited by the Budget Office boss include:
The dualisation of the Abuja–Kano Expressway
The N12.1 trillion Sokoto–Badagry Superhighway, a 1,068-kilometre road linking Sokoto to Badagry, with N3.63 trillion already approved for the Sokoto and Kebbi segments
The Kano–Maradi standard gauge railway
The Zungeru–Kano electricity transmission line
Upgrades and runway expansions at the Katsina, Maiduguri, and Kaduna airports
Yakubu insisted that these multi-trillion-naira projects are proof of the administration’s commitment to balanced regional development.
“The Tinubu government is not only aware of the historical development gap but is actively working to close it through strategic investments. Northern Nigeria is a cornerstone of our national progress,” he added.
His statement appears to be a direct pushback against mounting political pressure from Northern elites, some of whom have voiced concerns that the South is being unduly favoured in federal allocations and projects.
Despite the reassurances, political observers say the controversy may deepen as Nigeria approaches the 2027 general elections, with regional equity expected to be a key campaign issue.
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