Tinubu Administration Has Not Neglected North, TMSG Insists
Oru Leonard
The Tinubu Media Support Group (TMSG), has rejected claims that the administration of President Bola Ahmed Tinubu has neglected Northern Nigeria in the distribution of infrastructure and development projects.
The group said the North had benefited from major infrastructure projects, economic interventions and strategic appointments under the present administration, describing allegations of neglect as misleading.
In a statement signed by its Chairman, Emeka Nwankpa, and Secretary, Dapo Okubanjo, TMSG said the Federal Government had not only continued major projects inherited from the administration of former President Muhammadu Buhari but had also initiated new projects across the region.
“We have it on record that most of the major infrastructural projects started by the administration of the late President Muhammadu Buhari are recording measurable progress on the watch of President Bola Tinubu,” the group said.
It cited the $2.8 billion, 614-kilometre Ajaokuta-Kaduna-Kano (AKK) gas pipeline as one of the major projects expected to have significant economic impact on Northern Nigeria.
According to TMSG, the AKK project had reached about 95 per cent completion as of August 2026, following efforts by the Tinubu administration to address bottlenecks affecting its delivery.
The group said the pipeline was designed to supply gas to industrial clusters along the Ajaokuta-Kaduna-Kano corridor and contribute to the revival of industries in the region.
TMSG also cited the Kaduna-Kano railway and Kano-Maradi railway projects as other major infrastructure initiatives progressing under the Tinubu administration.
It said the Kaduna-Kano line was expected to be completed in December 2026, while sections of the Kano-Maradi project, including the 284-kilometre Kano-Daura-Katsina section, were also scheduled for commissioning in December.
According to the group, the remaining section linking Nigeria with Maradi in Niger Republic is expected to be completed in 2027.
Beyond inherited projects, TMSG said the Tinubu administration had embarked on major projects of its own, including the 1,068-kilometre Sokoto-Badagry Super Highway.
The group described the highway as a major trans-regional economic corridor linking Sokoto, Kebbi, Niger, Kwara, Oyo and Lagos states, with construction taking place on several sections.
It also highlighted the ongoing reconstruction of the Abuja-Kaduna-Kano dual carriageway using reinforced concrete pavement technology, as well as the Akwanga-Jos-Bauchi-Gombe road project.
“These are part of over 40 pro ongoing projects in Northern Nigeria which also extend to critical healthcare projects with expansions and upgrades at major facilities, including Ahmadu Bello University Teaching Hospital, Zaria, and over 1,000 Primary Health Centres across the North,” TMSG said.
The group further said President Tinubu had approved more than N2 trillion for intra-city light rail projects in Kano and Kaduna as part of efforts to modernise public transportation in the region.
It also pointed to activities of the North East Development Commission (NEDC), which it said had announced projects valued at more than N1.5 trillion across the geopolitical zone.
TMSG maintained that development interventions were also being implemented through other regional development commissions established by the Federal Government.
The group urged Nigerians, particularly residents of Northern Nigeria, to scrutinise claims of regional neglect against the record of ongoing projects and investments.
It said allegations that the Tinubu administration had abandoned the North were politically motivated and capable of misleading the public about the scope of federal development interventions in the region.
TMSG said the projects currently underway demonstrated that Northern Nigeria remained part of the Federal Government’s infrastructure, economic development and national integration agenda.
