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Two years into President Bola Ahmed Tinubu’s tenure, Northern governors, ministers and senior officials have moved to counter claims that the region has been short-changed in appointments and infrastructure, insisting the North remains central to Abuja’s spending and reforms.
They met at Arewa House, Kaduna, on July 29-30, 2025, under the Ahmadu Bello Memorial Foundation, to present scorecards and take questions on what has been delivered to the North since May 2023.
Beyond numbers, speakers said escalating rhetoric about Northern neglect is being driven by elites angling to shape 2027 politics.
As columnist Simon Kolawole would put it, it’s all politics and this time, it’s 2027 politics.
Political scientist Richard Sklar once warned that “tribalism is an instrument in the hands of political elites,” a line several participants said still rings true.
Naija News reports that the New Nigeria People’s Party (NNPP) leader, Rabiu Musa Kwankwaso, had accused the Presidency of marginalising the North on infrastructure.
The Director-General, Budget Office, Dr. Tanimu Yakubu, said the data tell a different story.
“Contrary to politically-motivated narratives, Northern Nigeria is not on the margins; it is at the heart of federal investment priorities. Over 50% of the capital budget for 2024 and 2025 is traceable to projects and programmes in the North when major national trunk infrastructure and water basin investments are properly accounted for,” Yakubu stated.
Yakubu cited ongoing and approved works including:
- Abuja-Kano Expressway dualisation;
- Sokoto-Badagry Superhighway, described as a ₦12.1 trillion cross-regional project spanning 1,068km and put at ₦3.63tn, with 30% already approved for rollout in Sokoto and Kebbi;
- Kano-Maradi Standard Gauge Railway, a Sahel trade corridor enabler;
- Zungeru-Kano power transmission line to stabilise industrial supply;
- Funtua and Bauchi Inland Dry Ports for agro-exports;
- Runway expansions in Katsina, Maiduguri and Kaduna.
Tinubu’s 2022 Pact With the North
Naija News understands that at Arewa House on October 17, 2022, the APC candidate, Tinubu, promised inclusive governance, tougher security across the North, and investment-led growth.
He argued the region’s comparative advantage is agriculture, pledging to turn the North into an agribusiness hub with private-sector partnerships.
On education, he vowed to work with states and local governments to cut out-of-school numbers, improve teacher welfare and training, and unlock funding to upgrade schools. He also identified priority roads and hydropower schemes requiring follow-through.
Officials at the Kaduna forum said those commitments have guided decisions since 2023, noting the North delivered roughly 60% of the votes that propelled Tinubu to Aso Rock.
‘Progress Made, Room To Improve’
While arguing the President has kept faith, speakers admitted there is more to do.
They urged faster delivery on big-ticket projects long cited in the North: Sokoto-Badagry Highway, Abuja–Kaduna–Kano reconstruction, Mambilla Hydroelectric, Baro Inland Port, and Ajaokuta Steel.
Mixed Verdict At The Summit
Naija News understands, however, that not everyone agreed. The Arewa Consultative Forum Board of Trustees Chairman, Bashir Dalhatu, said many Northerners feel completely mixed about the administration’s budget and infrastructure footprint, citing federal figures he argued show neglect.
Counter-voices included Kaduna Governor Uba Sani and Gombe Governor Inuwa Yahaya, who insisted Tinubu is delivering in security, agriculture, education and inclusion.
SGF George Akume said no region will be left behind, while Budget & National Planning Minister Atiku Bagudu stressed decisions are rooted in fairness and inclusivity.
Politics Will Not Allow People To Credit Us – NSA
On his party, the National Security Adviser to the President, Nuhu Ribadu, said security forces have made giant strides, neutralising terror leaders and reopening once-fearful routes.
He named Zamfara-Katsina, Kaduna-Abuja, and Kaduna-Birnin Gwari corridors as places now considered safe even at night, adding: “Politics will not allow people to credit us for all that.”
“Yes, President Tinubu made promises. But let’s be honest: he has kept faith with the North in many critical areas. The real question is, have we kept faith with our people as Northern leaders?” the Senior Assistant to the President on Media & Special Duties, Tunde Rahman quoted Kaduna State Governor, Uba Sani, as saying to Northern leaders.
The post ‘Tinubu Hasn’t Undercut The North’ – Northern Govs, Ministers, Critics Argue At Kaduna Parley appeared first on Naija News.
