- Afenifere says late Buhari’s administration favoured the north more than any other region over the past ten years.
- Kwankwaso was accused of making false claims to incite regional division and misrepresent President Tinubu’s development agenda.
The pan-Yoruba socio-cultural group, Afenifere, has faulted former governor of Kano State, Senator Rabiu Kwankwaso, over his recent comments about northern marginalisation.
Kwankwaso had alleged that the administration of President Bola Tinubu was concentrating development in one section of the country at the expense of others.
He made the comments on Thursday during a public event, insisting that the trend had worsened poverty and insecurity across the northern region.
Reacting on Friday, the national organising secretary of Afenifere, Abagun Kole Omololu, described Kwankwaso’s position as “grossly misleading and deliberately incendiary.”
“It is unfortunate that someone of Kwankwaso’s stature would speak without factual backing,” Omololu said in the statement.
According to him, the north “enjoyed significant federal attention under former late President Muhammadu Buhari, which Kwankwaso has conveniently ignored.”
“No region in Nigeria has received more federal presence in the last decade than the north,” Omololu stated.
He noted that “during Buhari’s administration, critical national resources were disproportionately directed to the north.”
He added that “the World Bank managing director even disclosed that President Buhari instructed the bank to prioritise interventions in northern Nigeria. Where was Kwankwaso’s voice for fairness at that time?”
Omololu cited projects such as the Kano-Maradi railway that extended into Niger Republic, saying it was part of the lopsided development under Buhari.
“Was that project meant for national integration or to facilitate cross-border movement of Fulani kinsmen?” he queried.
“Less than two years into President Tinubu’s government, Kwankwaso is already raising false alarms.
He listed ongoing federal projects in the north including the dualisation of the Kano–Maiduguri road, Sokoto–Tambuwal–Jega road, and the Abuja–Keffi–Lafia corridor.
He said the Ajaokuta–Kaduna–Kano gas pipeline project was being fast-tracked under the current administration.
“Just weeks ago, billions were approved for infrastructure in Katsina, Borno and Niger states,” he added.
Omololu accused Kwankwaso of attempting to ignite regional tension through “false narratives of southern favouritism.”
“Development is a gradual process, and Tinubu has not yet reached the halfway mark of his term,” he noted.
“By 2027, and certainly by 2031, every region, including the north, will feel the impact of this administration,” he said.
The Afenifere chieftain cautioned political leaders against fanning ethnic sentiments in public discourse.
“Statesmen, not ethnic lords, should shape the national conversation,” he said.
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