By Amos Joseph A war of words has erupted between former Kano State Governor and 2023 NNPP presidential candidate, Senator Rabiu Musa Kwankw...
“We are witnessing an alarming imbalance in the way national resources are distributed. From available information, the national budget appears heavily tilted towards one part of the country,” he said. “This lopsidedness has directly contributed to rising insecurity, poverty, and educational backwardness across Northern Nigeria.”
The NNPP leader also decried the protracted state of disrepair on major northern highways, particularly the Abuja-Kaduna-Kano expressway, which he said symbolises the broader neglect of the region. He urged legislators from the North to be more assertive in championing the region's interests in the ongoing constitutional review.
Kwankwaso further warned that continued neglect and unequal development could have broader implications for national stability.
“Those who are grabbing everything for their region should remember that neglecting others breeds insecurity. It may begin here, but like the desert wind, it spreads far,” he cautioned.
Presidency Responds: "North Is Central to Our Agenda"
In a swift and firm rebuttal, the Presidency dismissed Kwankwaso’s remarks as “unfounded, misleading, and politically motivated,” stating that President Bola Tinubu's administration has made the North a cornerstone of its development strategy.
Former Minister of Youth and Sports Development and senior presidential aide, Sunday Dare, defended the administration's record in a statement released on his verified X handle, @SundayDareSD.
“The facts speak for themselves. The North is not only included — it is central to the President’s developmental vision,” the statement read.
According to the Presidency, the Tinubu administration has initiated and accelerated multiple transformative projects across the North, including:
-
Infrastructure: Completion and expansion of strategic highways such as the Abuja–Kaduna–Zaria–Kano Expressway, Kano–Maiduguri Dual Carriageway, and Sokoto–Badagry Super Highway.
-
Agriculture: $158 million Agriculture Value Chain Programme across nine Northern states, and the $700 million ACReSAL initiative to combat climate shocks.
-
Energy: The 614 km Ajaokuta–Kaduna–Kano (AKK) Gas Pipeline, Gwagwalada Power Plant, and ABIBA Solar Power Project in Kaduna.
-
Health and Education: Upgrade of major hospitals including Ahmadu Bello University Teaching Hospital, Zaria, and the revitalisation of over 1,000 primary health centres.
-
Rail and Logistics: Construction of the Kaduna–Kano and Kano–Maradi rail lines, the Kaduna Light Rail Project, and inland dry ports to boost trade and mobility.
The Presidency maintained that many of these projects were either stalled or abandoned in past administrations but have now been revived or completed.
“No Region Is Neglected” – Presidency Insists
Responding directly to the allegations of regional bias, the Presidency said President Tinubu is committed to a governance model that delivers “a Nigeria that works for all — North, South, East, and West.”
“It is simply incorrect and politically convenient for anyone to say the North is neglected,” the statement noted. “What the North has received under this administration in two years is unprecedented in scope and significance. The evidence is visible and verifiable.”
The Presidency added that its approach to national development is based on equity, not politics or ethnicity, reinforcing Tinubu’s “Renewed Hope” agenda.
As debates over constitutional review and regional development intensify, the political divide between opposition voices like Kwankwaso and the federal leadership appears to be widening, with the North itself becoming a battleground of narratives on fairness, inclusion, and delivery.
No comments