North Not Marginalised Under Tinubu, Says Unity Group

A group for national unity and integration, Nigeria First Project Initiative (NFPI) has dismissed claims that the northern region is being marginalised under the administration of President Bola Tinubu.

NFPI said the persistent campaign that the “North” under the Tinubu administration is being marginalised, undermined and short-changed, peddled by some opposition politicians, critics and a section of the media, lacks convincing evidence and irrefutable facts.

The group, in a statement jointly signed yesterday by its national coordinator, Hamza Umar Saulawa, and director, Research and Documentation, Bishir Dauda, said records in the public domain indicate the contrary.

It said, in terms of federal project share, the North is not left behind, adding that while much noise had been made about the Lagos-Calabar Coastal Highway, critics have become silent about the Sokoto-Badagry Superhighway, where significant progress has been made.

“The ongoing work on the Abuja-Kaduna-Zaria-Kano Expressway, Kano-Maradi Railway, and reconstruction of several roads across the north are some of the concrete examples exposing the North’s marginalisation as a misrepresentation of truth,” the group said.

It noted that politically, the North is holding the position of Vice President; the number two, speaker of the House of Representatives, deputy Senate president and the national chairman of the ruling All Progressives Congress (APC).

“Also, northerners are occupying critical ministries under the Tinubu administration, namely, defence, housing, agriculture, health, education (state minister), police, information, etc.

“President Tinubu has also appointed several northerners as senior special assistants, special advisers, board members, chief executive officers, etc. So, how come this will amount to marginalisation?

“From our findings, the policies and programmes of the Tinubu administration impact the country as a whole, irrespective of geographical location.

“For instance, the unification of foreign exchange markets, which terminates racketeering and round-tripping of forex; the abrogation of the opaque and corruption-ridden fuel subsidy regime and the tax reform, among others, are manifesting positive effects, like an increase in the Federal Account Allocation Committee (FAAC), which all 36 states of the federation and the FCT enjoy.

“Today, there is no state in Nigeria that cannot pay workers’ salaries. Many states, including those from the northern part of the country, have paid outstanding gratuities of several months to their retirees and, at the same time, are undertaking gigantic infrastructural projects across critical sectors, including education, health, agriculture, works, among others,” the statement added.

It noted that President Tinubu had shown a high-level of commitment to changing the country’s security architecture by championing a constitutional amendment to pave the way for the creation of state police, which will no doubt overhaul the entire security ecosystem.

“Another effort by the Tinubu administration that impact on the whole country is the struggle to grant total local government autonomy. The historic Supreme Court judgment was secured by the federal government, which compels the direct transfer of funds to local governments.

“This has begun to yield positive results in some states in which local government functionaries are able to perform their duties, including implementing projects that touch the lives of the grassroots.

“In a nutshell, the policies and programmes of the Tinubu administration will help the North to realise its full potential. It is also important to note that the development of the North does not depend solely on the federal government,” Saulawa said.