By Olatunbosun Obafemi
The Presidency has dismissed recent claims by former Kano State governor and NNPP stalwart, Senator Rabiu Musa Kwankwaso, that President Bola Tinubu’s administration is marginalising Northern Nigeria in terms of infrastructural development.
Kwankwaso, speaking at a stakeholders’ dialogue in Kano on Thursday, alleged that the federal government was focusing its development agenda on the southern part of the country while neglecting the North. But in a swift response, Presidential aide Sunday Dare took to his X (formerly Twitter) handle to counter the claims, describing them as “wrong” and lacking factual basis.
Dare outlined several key infrastructure and development projects currently ongoing in Northern Nigeria. These include the Abuja–Kaduna–Zaria–Kano dual carriageway, the ambitious Sokoto–Badagry superhighway, and the Kano–Maiduguri road rehabilitation.
In the healthcare sector, Dare pointed to significant federal investments in the North, including the upgrade of teaching hospitals in Zaria, Katsina, Jos, and Sokoto. He also noted the revitalisation of more than 1,000 primary health care centres across various states.
He further highlighted the federal government’s interventions in agriculture, citing the $158.15 million Agriculture Value Chain Development Programme targeted at nine Northern states. Additionally, the Kolmani oil exploration project in Bauchi and Gombe states was mentioned as a strategic economic boost for the region.
On energy and transportation, Dare referenced the ongoing Ajaokuta–Kaduna–Kano Gas Pipeline project and the Kaduna–Kano standard gauge railway line as part of the Tinubu administration’s commitment to bridging regional infrastructure gaps.
“All of these achievements have been recorded within just two years of President Tinubu’s administration,” Dare wrote, dismissing the notion of regional bias.
The rebuttal underscores the administration’s attempt to counter criticisms of regional imbalance and reaffirm its commitment to national development through equitable distribution of federal projects.
