North Not Neglected Under Tinubu, Presidency Replies Kwankwaso  

(AFRICAN EXAMINER) – The Presidency has refuted claims by the 2023 presidential candidate of the New Nigeria Peoples Party, Senator Rabiu Kwankwaso, that the North has been neglected under the administration of President Bola Tinubu.

The presidency also disclosed that there are many critical projects and programmes which are presently underway in the region.

Kwankwaso stated this in a stakeholders’ dialogue on the 2025 constitutional amendment in Kano on Thursday, as he cautioned that national resources are increasingly tilted towards the southern region, and this has further deepened the poverty and insecurity across the North.

The former Kano State governor also kicked against the deplorable condition of federal roads in the northern states as he narrated how a cancelled flight made him travel by road from Abuja to Kano via Kaduna, a journey he described as “hell” because of the terrible state of the road.

Reacting via a post on his X handle on Friday, the Special Adviser to the President on Media and Public Communication, Sunday Dare, challenged the assertions of Kwankwaso.

“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.

He harped on the major infrastructure, health, energy, and agricultural projects being carried out across Northern states to showcase the government’s commitment.

According to Dare, ongoing projects in the north include the Abuja–Kaduna–Kano Expressway, the Sokoto–Badagry Super Highway, and the Ajaokuta–Kaduna–Kano Gas Pipeline, among others.

Dare also highlighted a $158.15 million Agriculture Value Chain programme across nine Northern states and the Kolmani Integrated Development Project in Bauchi and Gombe. Other interventions are the Agro-Climatic Resilience in Semi-Arid Landscapes project, which plans to restore one million hectares of degraded land.

The presidential aide also mentioned facilities such as Ahmadu Bello University Teaching Hospital, Zaria, University of Jos Teaching Hospital, and the Federal Medical Centre, Nguru, among others, as beneficiaries of expansions and new investments. He also talked about the revitalisation of about 1,000 primary health centres in the North.

“Northern Nigeria is not left behind. From road networks to gas pipelines, agriculture, health, and rail, this administration has the North well covered,” he stressed

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