Claims of northern marginalisation under Tinubu unfounded, says group

The Nigeria First Project Initiative (PFRI) says the north is not marginalised under President Bola Tinubu’s administration.

In a statement issued on Sunday, the group said claims that the president sidelined northerners in political appointments and infrastructure projects are unfounded.

“The persistent campaign that the north under the Tinubu administration is being marginalised, undermined, and short-changed, being peddled by the opposition politicians, critics, dissidents, and a section of the media, is without convincing evidence and irrefutable facts. Records that are in the public domain indicate the contrary,” the statement reads.

The organisation cited ongoing infrastructure projects as evidence of federal government commitment to the region, including the Abuja–Kaduna–Zaria–Kano expressway and the Kano–Maradi railway line.

The advocacy group also referenced progress on the Sokoto–Badagry superhighway, questioning why critics have focused more attention on the Lagos–Calabar coastal highway while overlooking developments in the north.

The group said the north holds significant political influence at the federal level, noting that the office of the vice-president is currently occupied by a northerner, alongside other key positions such as the speaker of the house of representatives, the deputy senate president, and the national chairman of the ruling All Progressives Congress (APC).

The PFRI said several strategic ministries—including defence, agriculture, health, housing, and information—are headed by individuals from the northern region, while numerous northerners have also been appointed as senior special assistants, advisers, and heads of government agencies.

“President Tinubu has shown a high level of commitment to changing the security architecture of the country by championing constitutional amendment to pave the way for the creation of state police, which no doubt will overhaul the entire security ecosystem of the country,” the group said.

“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 can 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.”

The group added that the marginalisation allegations against the Tinubu government are a “weapon self-acclaimed regional and ethnic champions use to extract personal concessions.”

The statement was signed by Hamza Saulawa and Bishir Dauda, the group’s national coordinator and director of research and documentation, respectively.(TheCable)