Former presidential candidate of the New Nigeria Peoples Party (NNPP), Senator Rabiu Musa Kwankwaso has accused the administration of President Bola Tinubu of marginalising the Northern part of the country in the distribution of federal resources while prioritising development in the southern region.
Kwankwaso made the accusation during a stakeholders’ dialogue organised by the Kano State Government at the Coronation Hall of Government House, Kano.
The forum was convened to gather the state’s input on the ongoing 2025 constitutional amendment process before the National Assembly.
Present at the event were Governor Abba Kabir Yusuf, members of the National and State Assemblies, traditional rulers, heads of ministries and agencies, civil society groups, and other key stakeholders.
Kwankwaso, a two-term former governor of Kano State and former Minister of Defence, decried what he called a lopsided distribution of national resources under the Tinubu-led All Progressives Congress (APC) government.
“From the information available to us, most of the national budget now appears to be going in one direction,” he said. “Let me advise those who are struggling by all means to take everything, to remember that the problems we are facing in this part of the country—insecurity, poverty—are linked to lack of adequate resources and poor management of what little is available.”
The NNPP chieftain expressed frustration over the deteriorating condition of roads in Northern Nigeria, saying the region has been left behind in terms of infrastructure development.
“Yesterday, I was supposed to fly in, but my flight was delayed from 3p.m. to 8 p.m., so I came by road. From Abuja to Kaduna to Kano was a nightmare. Very bad roads. That road project has been dragging on since the early days of APC rule,” he lamented.
Kwankwaso also alleged that while key projects in the South were being executed with urgency, critical infrastructure in the North remains abandoned.
“We hear there is a road being constructed from the South to the East. We support development anywhere in Nigeria. But a government that takes resources from across the country and invests only in one part is not acting in the national interest,” he said.
He called on the Tinubu administration to urgently review its approach and ensure fair and balanced development across all regions.
“This is the time for the government to change and prove to Nigerians that it belongs to the whole country, not just one part,” he emphasised.
