The Director-General of the Budget Office of the Federation, Tanimu Yakubu, has revealed that more than half of Nigeria’s capital expenditure for 2024 and 2025 is dedicated to projects and programmes in the northern region, countering widespread claims of regional neglect under President Bola Ahmed Tinubu’s administration.
Yakubu made the clarification following criticism from several northern leaders, including former Kano State Governor Rabiu Musa Kwankwaso, ex-Secretary to the Government of the Federation Babachir Lawal, and Chairman of the Board of Trustees of the Arewa Consultative Forum (ACF), Bashir Dalhatu, who alleged that the North has been marginalised in federal infrastructure investments.
Dismissing the accusations as “politically motivated,” Yakubu insisted that the North remains central to the federal government’s development agenda.
“Contrary to politically motivated narratives, northern Nigeria is not on the margins; it is at the heart of federal investment priorities,” he said.
He stressed that the resource allocation under Tinubu’s leadership is aimed at fostering balanced development and strengthening national unity. “Over 50% of the capital budget for 2024 and 2025 is traceable to projects and programs in the North when major national trunk infrastructure and water basin investments are properly accounted for,” he added.
To support his claim, Yakubu highlighted several key projects, including:
- Abuja–Kano expressway dualisation
- The ₦12.1 trillion Sokoto–Badagry superhighway, a 1,068-kilometre trans-regional route, with ₦3.63 trillion already approved for initial phases in Sokoto and Kebbi
- Kano–Maradi standard gauge railway
- Zungeru–Kano power transmission line
- Ongoing airport runway expansions in Kaduna, Maiduguri, and Katsina
- Development of inland dry ports in Funtua and Bauchi to boost agro-logistics and exports
He also noted significant investment in water resources through river basin authorities, particularly in the Sokoto-Rima and Upper Benue basins, aimed at improving irrigation, flood control, and rural livelihoods.
On security, Yakubu affirmed that spending has been scaled up significantly, especially in conflict-prone areas across the region.
“The facts speak for themselves. The federal government’s commitment to the North is strong, deliberate, and evident in both figures and footprints,” the DG concluded.
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