The Presidency has countered recent allegations by former Kano State governor and 2023 NNPP presidential candidate, Senator Rabiu Musa Kwankwaso, that President Bola Ahmed Tinubu’s administration is focusing federal projects in the South while neglecting the North.
In a swift response, the Presidency emphasised that Northern Nigeria continues to benefit from numerous ongoing federal projects across critical sectors, including major road infrastructure like the Abuja–Kaduna–Kano Expressway, Sokoto–Badagry Superhighway, and the Kano–Maiduguri Dual Carriageway, as well as significant investments in healthcare, agriculture, energy, and rail development.
The Special Adviser to the President on Media and Public Communication, Sunday Dare, described Kwankwaso’s claims as incorrect and misleading, affirming that the Tinubu led administration has the North “well covered” and is committed to balanced regional development.
In a detailed post on his verified X handle, Special Adviser to the President on Media and Public Communication, Mr. Sunday Dare, described the allegations as “wrong,” stressing that Northern Nigeria has benefitted from an expansive slate of federal projects under President Tinubu’s administration across sectors such as roads, rail, energy, health, agriculture, and education.
“Senator Kwankwaso. You are wrong. North not neglected. President Tinubu has the North covered,” Mr. Dare stated in the Friday post, which was accompanied by a comprehensive list of ongoing and completed projects across the northern geopolitical zones.
The Presidential aide outlined infrastructure efforts, he listed major expressways including the Abuja-Kaduna-Kano expressway; Sokoto-Zamfara-Katsina expressway; and sections of the Sokoto-Badagry superhighway.
Several roads linking key northern towns — such as Zaria, Funtua, Gusau, Sokoto, Maiduguri, Lafia, and Gaya — are either under construction or undergoing rehabilitation.
In the agriculture sector, Mr. Dare identified programmes such as the $158.15 million Agriculture Value Chain Programme targeting nine northern states, the Kolmani Integrated Development Project in Bauchi and Gombe, and the Agro-Climatic Resilience in Semi-Arid Landscapes (ACReSAL), a World Bank–backed environmental initiative.
He also referenced the revitalization of irrigation schemes like the Kano River Project, which was commissioned in 2023 and is fully operational under the Tinubu administration.
The health sector also featured in the refutal, with Mr Dare naming teaching hospitals and diagnostic centres in Zaria, Jos, Katsina, Sokoto, Ilorin, Bauchi, and Yobe, among others.
According to him, more than 1,000 primary health centres across the North are also being reinvigorated as part of the Renewed Hope Agenda.
On energy and gas infrastructure, the statement underscored the 614km Ajaokuta-Kaduna-Kano (AKK) Gas Pipeline, the Gwagwalada Power Plant in the FCT, and the proposed 50MW ABIBA Solar Power Station in Kaduna State.
Major rail projects such as the 203km Kaduna–Kano rail line, the 285km Kano–Maradi railway, and a ₦100 billion allocation for a Kaduna Light Rail System were also presented as evidence of federal investment in northern transportation.
Also listed were the ongoing rehabilitation of the Abuja Metro Line and development of inland trade infrastructure through the Trans-Sahara Trade Corridor linking Calabar through Nasarawa and the North.
The Presidential aide further pointed to national programmes and institutions like the reinvigorated National Agency for the Great Green Wall and the Nigeria Erosion and Watershed Management Project (NEWMAP), both of which are focused on environmental challenges peculiar to the North.
“These are just samplers — tangible evidence of a government actively developing all regions without bias,” the presidential aide said.
Mr. Dare concluded the response by stating that all the mentioned projects were either initiated or made substantial progress within the first two years of President Tinubu’s administration.