Presidency Counters Kwankwaso’s Claim of Northern Neglect with 43 Projects
Oru Leonard
The Presidency has strongly refuted Senator Rabiu Kwankwaso’s claim that Northern Nigeria has been neglected under President Bola Tinubu’s administration. Special Adviser to the President on Media and Public Communications, Sunday Dare, revealed that over 43 federal projects and initiatives are currently underway across Northern states, spanning infrastructure, energy, health, agriculture, and transportation.
According to him, key rrojects and initiatives in the include;
– Roads and Highways: Major projects include the Abuja-Kaduna-Kano Expressway, Sokoto-Badagry Super Highway, and the Sokoto-Zamfara-Katsina Expressway.
– Agriculture: The $158.15 million Agriculture Value Chain Programme for nine Northern states, Kolmani Integrated Development Project in Bauchi and Gombe, and the Agro-Climatic Resilience in Semi-Arid Landscapes (ACReSAL) programme to restore 1 million hectares of degraded land.
– Healthcare: Upgrades and expansions at major facilities, including Ahmadu Bello University Teaching Hospital, Zaria, Federal Medical Centre, Nguru, and over 1,000 Primary Health Centres across the North.
– Energy and Gas: The 614km Ajaokuta-Kaduna-Kano Gas Pipeline, Gwagwalada Power Plant, and planned 50MW ABIBA Solar Power Station in Kaduna.
– Rail and Metro: Ongoing work on the Kaduna-Kano Rail Line, Kano-Maradi Rail Line, and ₦100 billion allocation for the Kaduna Light Rail System.
Dare emphasized that Northern Nigeria is not left behind, with the administration having the North well covered. “Senator Kwankwaso, you are wrong. North not neglected. President Tinubu has the North covered. Northern Nigeria not left behind,” he said.
Recall that Engr. Rabiu Kwankwaso, former Senator and former Governor of Kano State, accused President Bola Tinubu’s administration of neglecting Northern Nigeria in terms of infrastructural development, claiming that the federal government is concentrating resources in the southern part of the country.
Specifically, Kwankwaso highlighted the deplorable state of roads in the North, citing his personal experience of traveling from Abuja to Kano by road due to flight delays, which he described as “hell” because of the poor road conditions.
Cover Photo Credit of President Bola Ahmed Tinubu and Engr Rabiu Kwankwaso
