Photo File: President Tinubu and Engr. Kwankwaso

The Presidency has rejected claims made by former Kano State Governor and 2023 presidential candidate of the New Nigeria Peoples Party (NNPP), Senator Rabiu Musa Kwankwaso, that the northern region is  being sidelined under President Bola Ahmed Tinubu’s administration.

In a statement released on Friday by the Special Adviser to the President on Media and Public Communication, Sunday Dare, the Presidency described Kwankwaso’s remarks as “incorrect,” stating that the federal government is actively executing major developmental projects across Northern Nigeria.

“The claim that Northern Nigeria has been left behind is incorrect. The Tinubu administration has initiated and continued several landmark projects in the North, covering roads, agriculture, healthcare, and energy,” Dare said.

Dare highlighted key infrastructure projects such as the Abuja–Kaduna–Kano Expressway, the Sokoto–Badagry Super Highway, and the ongoing construction of the 614-kilometre Ajaokuta–Kaduna–Kano Gas Pipeline. Other major projects mentioned include the Kano–Kongolam Road, Kaduna–Jos Road, Kano–Maiduguri Dual Carriageway, and road rehabilitations in Borno and Adamawa states.

On healthcare, the presidency noted the expansion and upgrading of facilities such as the Ahmadu Bello University Teaching Hospital in Zaria, the University of Jos Teaching Hospital, and the Federal Medical Centre, Nguru. The administration also claims to have revitalised about 1,000 primary healthcare centres in the region.

In the agriculture sector, the government is said to be implementing a $158.15 million agriculture value chain programme across nine northern states and driving the Kolmani Integrated Development Project located in Bauchi and Gombe. The Agro-Climatic Resilience in Semi-Arid Landscapes (ACReSAL) project, aimed at restoring one million hectares of degraded land, is also reportedly ongoing.

Energy investments cited include the Gwagwalada Power Plant and solar projects in Kaduna State. On transportation, the presidency pointed to the Kaduna–Kano and Kano–Maradi rail lines and the rehabilitation of the Abuja Metro.

“From road networks to gas pipelines, agriculture, health, and rail, this administration has the North well covered,” Dare concluded.

The response from the Presidency comes a day after Senator Kwankwaso criticised the federal government during a stakeholders’ dialogue on the 2025 constitutional amendment held in Kano. He alleged that national resources were increasingly being directed toward the South, leading to worsening poverty and insecurity in the North.

Kwankwaso, visibly displeased with the state of federal infrastructure in the region, recounted a recent travel experience from Abuja to Kano via Kaduna due to a cancelled flight, which he described as “hell” because of the deplorable condition of the roads.

As the debate over regional development continues, analysts say the issue of equitable distribution of federal resources remains a sensitive point in Nigeria’s political landscape.