The Special Adviser on Media and Public Communication to President Bola Tinubu, Sunday Dare, has refuted recent claims by Senator Rabiu Musa Kwankwaso that the current administration has prioritized development in the South while neglecting the North.
Kwankwaso, speaking during the Kano State Stakeholders’ Dialogue on the 2025 Constitutional Amendment on Thursday, July 24, expressed frustration over what he described as the “deplorable state” of federal roads in the North. He cited his recent difficult road trip from Abuja to Kano, after a delayed flight forced him to travel by road.
"The Abuja-Kaduna-Kano road is in a terrible condition," Kwankwaso said. "I support infrastructure development anywhere in this country, but it is wrong for government to concentrate resources in one region while ignoring others. This is the time for government to show fairness and prove it governs the entire nation."
In response, Dare issued a statement on X (formerly Twitter) on Friday, July 25, dismissing Kwankwaso’s assertions and insisting that President Tinubu's administration has not sidelined the North. Titled “Senator Kwankwaso, You Are Wrong – The North Has Not Been Neglected”, the statement listed over 40 major infrastructure and development projects across Northern Nigeria.
Highlights of Projects Under Tinubu in Northern Nigeria:
Roads & Infrastructure:
Abuja–Kaduna–Zaria–Kano Expressway (ongoing)
Sokoto–Badagry Super Highway (Northern stretch)
Kano–Kongolam, Yakasai–Zalli, Zaria–Funtua–Gusau–Sokoto roads, among others
Reconstruction of Dikwa–Gamboru–Ngala road (Borno)
Lafia Bypass and Mararaba–Keffi expansion (Nasarawa)
Agriculture:
$158.15m Agriculture Value Chain Programme for 9 Northern states
Kolmani Integrated Project (Bauchi/Gombe)
ACReSAL project – to restore 1 million hectares of degraded land
Kano River Irrigation Scheme
Health:
Rehabilitation and upgrade of major federal hospitals and teaching hospitals in Zaria, Katsina, Jos, Sokoto, Bauchi, Ilorin, and Yobe
Renovation of over 1,000 primary health centres in the region
Energy & Power:
614 km Ajaokuta–Kaduna–Kano Gas Pipeline (AKK)
Gwagwalada Power Plant (FCT)
ABIBA 50 MW Solar Power Station (Kaduna)
Rail & Metro:
Kaduna–Kano Rail (203 km) and Kano–Maradi Rail (285 km)
₦100 billion allocation for Kaduna Light Rail
Abuja Metro Line rehabilitation
Waterways & Trade:
Development of the Trans-Sahara Trade Route to strengthen Northern connectivity
National Programmes:
Renewed focus on the Great Green Wall initiative
Ongoing erosion and watershed control through NEWMAP
Dare concluded by stating that all these projects — spanning transportation, agriculture, health, energy, and climate resilience — have either been initiated or significantly advanced within just two years of Tinubu’s administration.
“President Tinubu is governing with a national vision, not a regional bias,” Dare affirmed.
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