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 allocated to infrastructure projects and development programmes across the northern region of the country.
Yakubu’s clarification follows growing criticism from some northern political leaders, including former Kano State Governor Rabiu Musa Kwankwaso and former Secretary to the Government of the Federation, Babachir Lawal, who accused President Bola Ahmed Tinubu’s administration of marginalizing the North in its capital investment priorities.
Similar sentiments were also expressed by Bashir Dalhatu, Chairman of the Board of Trustees of the Arewa Consultative Forum (ACF).
In response, Yakubu dismissed the allegations as politically motivated, stressing that the federal government remains firmly committed to northern development. “Contrary to politically motivated narratives, northern Nigeria is not on the margins — it is at the heart of federal investment priorities,” he stated.
He described the accusations of regional neglect as baseless and misleading, asserting that capital budget allocations under President Tinubu’s administration are structured to promote inclusive growth and national unity.
“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.
To support his claims, the Budget Office DG highlighted several key infrastructure projects, including the Abuja–Kano expressway dualisation and the ₦12.1 trillion Sokoto–Badagry superhighway — a 1,068-kilometre mega project linking multiple states.
He disclosed that ₦3.63 trillion has already been approved for the early phases of the superhighway in Sokoto and Kebbi states.
Yakubu also pointed to ongoing projects such as the Kano–Maradi standard gauge railway, the Zungeru–Kano power transmission line, and expansion works at the Kaduna, Maiduguri, and Katsina airport runways.
He further noted efforts to improve agricultural trade and logistics through the construction of inland dry ports in Funtua and Bauchi.
In the water resources sector, the federal government is making large-scale investments in river basin authorities, particularly in the Sokoto-Rima and Upper Benue basins, to enhance irrigation, flood control, and rural livelihoods.
He added that security-related spending has also increased, especially in regions facing persistent unrest, reaffirming the government’s focus on stabilizing northern communities.
