Lopsided Project Claim: “Apologise To Tinubu Now”, Umahi Tackles Kwankwaso
•By Admin
ABUJA – THE Minister of Works, Dave Umahi, has called on Senator Rabiu Musa Kwankwaso, former Kano State Governor and the 2023 presidential candidate of the New Nigeria Peoples Party (NNPP), to tender a public apology to President Bola Ahmed Tinubu over allegations that the North has been sidelined in the distribution of federal infrastructure projects.
Umahi described Kwankwaso’s comments as “false, misleading and self-serving,” insisting that the Tinubu-led administration has demonstrated fairness in the allocation of projects across the country, including Northern Nigeria.
You’d recall that recently, Kwankwaso had, during a stakeholders’ forum on constitutional amendment in Kano, accused the Federal Government of prioritising infrastructure development in the South while neglecting critical projects in the North, particularly the Abuja–Kaduna–Kano Expressway, which he described as a nightmare.
Reacting on Friday, Umahi challenged Kwankwaso to withdraw his remarks and apologise, warning that such narratives were politically motivated and aimed at inciting regional disaffection.
“I call on Senator Rabiu Kwankwaso to immediately retract that statement and tender an unreserved apology to the President. His claims are not only divisive but patently untrue. Nigerians deserve facts, not political sentiment,” Umahi said.
He presented detailed figures to counter Kwankwaso’s allegations, stating that over 52% of President Tinubu’s legacy road projects are located in the North, compared to 48% in the South.
Among the major projects highlighted by the minister are the 378km segment of the Sokoto–Badagry Superhighway ongoing in Kebbi and Sokoto States, and the Akwanga–Jos–Bauchi–Gombe Road which is currently undergoing redesign.
Other key Northern projects include the Abuja–Kaduna–Kano dualisation (about 350km), Sokoto–Zamfara–Katsina–Kaduna corridor (275km), and various tax credit roads involving the BUA Group across Jigawa, Kano, and Katsina states.
Umahi said the North currently has over 756km of ongoing road construction projects compared to 409km in the South, adding that inherited projects under the NNPC tax credit scheme also favour the North with a 53% share, against 47% for the South.
He said the figures prove that the Tinubu administration has not only continued but expanded critical infrastructure in the North.
The Presidency had also issued a statement through Special Adviser on Policy Coordination, Sunday Dare, describing Kwankwaso’s claims as “unfounded and politically coloured.”
The statement listed numerous projects underway in the North, including the Kaduna–Kano and Kano–Maradi railway lines, the Ajaokuta–Kaduna–Kano gas pipeline, Gwagwalada Power Plant, ABIBA solar projects in Kaduna, agricultural development schemes, erosion control measures, and healthcare infrastructure across several Northern states.
“Senator Kwankwaso’s comments do a disservice to the facts on the ground,” Umahi added.
“The President is committed to balanced national development, and this is clearly evident in the distribution of projects.”
He encouraged Nigerians to dismiss what he described as “divisive rhetoric” and instead focus on the administration’s ongoing efforts to deliver equitable infrastructure and drive economic growth across all six geopolitical zones, adding that if Senator Kwankwaso believes otherwise, he should come forward with verifiable facts.
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