The Presidency has dismissed claims by former Kano State Governor and 2023 presidential candidate of the New Nigeria Peoples Party (NNPP), Senator Rabiu Musa Kwankwaso, alleging that Northern Nigeria has been sidelined under the administration of President Bola Tinubu.
In a statement issued Friday by the Special Adviser to the President on Media and Public Communication, Sunday Dare, the government described Kwankwaso’s comments as “inaccurate” and insisted that the North remains a major focus of President Tinubu’s developmental agenda.
“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 major ongoing infrastructure projects in the region, including the Abuja–Kaduna–Kano Expressway, the Sokoto–Badagry Super Highway, and the Ajaokuta–Kaduna–Kano Gas Pipeline.
Dare also pointed to key agricultural interventions, such as a $158.15 million agriculture value chain development programme across nine northern states and the Kolmani Integrated Development Project in Bauchi and Gombe states.
Other initiatives include the Agro-Climatic Resilience in Semi-Arid Landscapes (ACReSAL) project, which aims to restore one million hectares of degraded land, as well as the revitalisation of over 1,000 primary healthcare centres.
In healthcare infrastructure, Dare cited expansions and investments at Ahmadu Bello University Teaching Hospital in Zaria, University of Jos Teaching Hospital, and the Federal Medical Centre in Nguru.
On energy, he highlighted the 614-kilometre Ajaokuta–Kaduna–Kano Gas Pipeline, the Gwagwalada Power Plant, and planned solar energy projects in Kaduna.
He also referenced rail infrastructure projects such as the Kaduna–Kano Rail Line, Kano–Maradi Rail Line, and the Abuja Metro rehabilitation project.
“Northern Nigeria is not left behind. From road networks to gas pipelines, agriculture, health, and rail, this administration has the North well covered,” Dare affirmed.
The presidential aide’s remarks followed Kwankwaso’s statement during a stakeholders’ dialogue on the 2025 constitutional amendment in Kano on Thursday, where the NNPP chieftain lamented worsening poverty, insecurity, and poor infrastructure in the North.
Kwankwaso, who narrated his ordeal on a recent road journey from Abuja to Kano due to a cancelled flight, described the condition of northern highways as “hellish” and accused the Federal Government of disproportionately favouring the South in the allocation of national resources.
