The Presidency has strongly refuted allegations by former Kano State governor and 2023 NNPP presidential candidate, Senator Rabiu Musa Kwankwaso, that the Tinubu administration is favouring the South over the North in infrastructure development.
Kwankwaso, speaking at a stakeholders’ dialogue on the 2025 constitutional amendment in Kano on Thursday, criticised the federal government for what he described as the “marginalisation” of Northern Nigeria in key infrastructure investments. He particularly lamented the poor state of the Abuja-Kaduna-Kano highway, calling the travel experience “hellish” compared to road conditions in the South.
“From Abuja to Kaduna to Kano was hell — a terrible, very bad road. This is a project that started under the APC years ago, yet there is now talk of a new road from the South to the East,” Kwankwaso said.
However, in a swift response posted on X (formerly Twitter) on Friday, the Special Adviser to the President on Media and Public Communication, Sunday Dare, dismissed the claims, describing them as inaccurate and misleading.
“The claim that Northern Nigeria has been left behind is incorrect. The Tinubu administration has initiated and sustained landmark projects across the North in roads, agriculture, healthcare, and energy,” Dare stated.
He highlighted key infrastructure efforts such as the Abuja-Kaduna-Kano Expressway, the Sokoto-Badagry Expressway, and the Sokoto-Zamfara-Katsina Road. In agriculture, he cited the $158.15 million Agriculture Value Chain Programme in nine northern states, the Kolmani Integrated Development Project in Bauchi and Gombe, and the World Bank–funded ACReSAL initiative aimed at restoring over one million hectares of degraded land.
On healthcare, Dare pointed to federal investments in teaching hospitals in Zaria, Katsina, and Jos, as well as the rehabilitation of over 1,000 primary healthcare centres across the North.
The Presidency also noted major transport and energy developments, including the Kaduna-Kano Rail Line, the Kano-Maradi international rail project, and the ABIBA 50 MW Solar Power Station in Kaduna. Additional road projects like the Zaria-Funtua-Gusau-Sokoto Dual Carriageway and the Dikwa-Gamboru-Ngala Road were also listed.
Dare emphasized that in under two years, President Tinubu’s administration has laid a robust foundation for long-term, inclusive development in the North, countering claims of marginalisation.
“The facts speak for themselves,” he added.
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