- Sunday Dare listed Tinubu’s 43 Northern interventions covering agriculture, infrastructure, health, rail and energy within less than two years.
- He mentioned federal roadworks such as the Abuja–Kaduna–Kano and Sokoto–Badagry expressways as proof of Northern inclusion.
Special Adviser to the President on Media and Public Communications, Sunday Dare, has faulted Senator Rabiu Kwankwaso over claims that President Bola Tinubu neglected the North.
The former Kano State governor made the comment on Thursday during the Kano State Stakeholders’ Dialogue on the 2025 Constitutional Amendment.
The 2023 presidential candidate of the New Nigeria Peoples Party (NNPP) said, “Let me advise the Federal Government on the distribution of federal resources.
“From the information available to us, it’s like most of the national budget is now tilting in one direction in this country.”
Responding in a post on X on Friday, Dare insisted the North had not been sidelined in the administration’s programmes.
He said, “Senator Kwankwoso. You are wrong. North not neglected. President Tinubu has the North covered. Northern Nigeria not left behind.”
The presidential aide outlined 43 Northern-based interventions carried out by President Tinubu in less than two years in office.
He listed agriculture, road infrastructure, health, energy and gas, rail and metro projects among the sectors impacted by the interventions.
According to him, key projects under Tinubu’s administration include the Abuja–Kaduna–Kano Expressway and the Sokoto–Badagry Expressway.
He also mentioned the Sokoto–Zamfara–Katsina Expressway as one of the federal roads receiving attention under Tinubu’s leadership.
Dare noted that $158.15m was allocated to the Agriculture Value Chain Programme across nine Northern states.
He added that the Kolmani Integrated Development Project in Bauchi and Gombe States had also been launched by the Tinubu government.
He said the North is also benefitting from the Agro-Climatic Resilience in Semi-Arid Landscapes (ACReSAL), a six-year World Bank–funded initiative.
The programme, according to him, aims to restore one million hectares of degraded land and improve climate resilience in Northern states.
Dare added that about 1,000 Primary Health Centres (PHCs) had been reinvigorated across the North under Tinubu’s administration.
He explained that several tertiary and secondary health facilities in the region had also been upgraded to improve access to healthcare.