The Director-General of the Budget Office of the Federation, Tanimu Yakubu has stated that more than half of Nigeria’s capital budget for 2024 and 2025 has been directed towards projects and programmes across the northern region of the country.
His clarification comes in the wake of criticism from prominent northern figures, including former Kano State Governor, Rabiu Musa Kwankwaso, and ex-Secretary to the Government of the Federation, Babachir Lawal, who accused President Bola Ahmed Tinubu’s administration of sidelining the North in terms of infrastructure investment.
Similarly, Bashir Dalhatu, chairman of the Board of Trustees (BoT) of the Arewa Consultative Forum (ACF), had echoed the concerns.
Responding to these allegations, Yakubu dismissed the claims, insisting that the federal government remains deeply committed to the development of northern Nigeria.
“Contrary to politically motivated narratives, northern Nigeria is not on the margins, it is at the heart of federal investment priorities,” he said.
Yakubu described the idea of regional neglect as unfounded, emphasizing that resource allocation under Tinubu’s leadership is designed to promote balanced growth and national cohesion.
“Over 50% of the capital budget for 2024 and 2025 is traceable to projects and programs in the north when major national trunk infrastructure and water basin investments are properly accounted for,” Yakubu explained.
He pointed to several high-profile projects to back his claim, including the Abuja–Kano expressway dualisation and the ₦12.1 trillion Sokoto–Badagry superhighway, a 1,068-kilometre cross-regional project, with ₦3.63 trillion already greenlit for its early phases in Sokoto and Kebbi.
In addition, he cited other ongoing initiatives such as the Kano–Maradi standard gauge railway, the Zungeru–Kano power transmission line, and expansion works on airport runways in Kaduna, Maiduguri, and Katsina.
Yakubu also highlighted efforts to boost agricultural logistics and export through the construction of inland dry ports in Funtua and Bauchi.
In the area of water resources, the DG noted the government’s significant investment in river basin authorities to support irrigation schemes, flood management, and rural livelihoods, especially in basins such as Sokoto-Rima and Upper Benue.
Security spending, he said, has also seen a major boost, particularly in volatile zones.
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