Director-General of the Budget Office of the Federation, Tanimu Yakubu, has affirmed that over half of the capital budget for 2024 and 2025 was allocated to projects and programmes in the North.

Former governor of Kano State, Rabiu Kwankwaso, and ex-Secretary to the Government of the Federation (SGF), Baba hir Lawal, had accused President Bola Tinubu’s administration of marginalising the North in infrastructure development.

Chairman of the Board of Trustees (BoT) of the Arewa Consultative Forum (ACF), Bashir Dalhatu, also claimed Tinubu had neglected the region.
Reacting to the claims, Yakubu said the Federal Government is committed to the development of Northern Nigeria.

He said the narrative of northern marginalisation is “unfounded,” adding that the Tinubu administration is strategically mobilising resources to ensure balanced regional development and national progress.

“Contrary to politically motivated narratives, Northern Nigeria is not on the margins; it is at the heart of federal investment priorities,” he said.

“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 added.

He said the government has invested in key infrastructure projects, including the dualisation of the Abuja–Kano expressway and the N12.1 trillion Sokoto–Badagry superhighway, a 1,068-kilometre cross-regional road project, with N3.63 trillion already approved for initial phases in Sokoto and Kebbi states.

The DG said the government’s initiatives include Kano–Maradi standard gauge railway, the Zungeru–Kano power transmission line, and the expansion of airport runways in Katsina, Maiduguri, and Kaduna.