From Bamigbola Gbolagunte, Akure
The pan Yoruba sociocultural organization, Afenifere has faulted the former Governor of Kano State, Dr Rabiu Kwankwanso over claim that the administration of President Bola Ahmed Tinubu is marginalizing the North and concentrating national resources in the South.
Afenifere in a statement by its National organizing Secretary, Otunba Kole Omololu said the statement was not only misleading, but also deliberately incendiary.
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Omololu said “as a former Governor and Minister, one would expect Senator Kwankwaso to speak with facts, not emotions laced with sectional bias.
It must be stated unequivocally that no region in Nigeria has benefited more from concentrated federal presence in the past decade than the North.
“During the Buhari’s administration—a northern presidency, which Senator Kwankwaso conveniently omits, critical national resources were disproportionately channelled to the North. The World Bank Managing Director publicly disclosed
that President Buhari specifically directed the institution to focus its interventions on northern Nigeria. Where was Kwankwaso’s voice for equity and fairness then?
“Road and rail infrastructure were overwhelmingly skewed. The Kano-Maradi railway, constructed deep into Niger Republic with no economic significance to Nigeria was completed under Buhari. Was this done for national integration or to aid cross-border movement of Fulani kinsmen?
“Meanwhile, under the same regime, the hell on which the senator travelled was not made heaven, the Lagos- Ibadan expressway, started by President Jonathan and designed to reach Iwo Junction, remained uncompleted. The Second Niger Bridge was still pending upon Buhari’s exit after eight years in office.
“Less than two years into President Tinubu’s administration, Kwankwaso is crying foul. Perhaps he is unaware that critical road projects have been initiated and awarded across the North, including the dualisation of the Kano-Maiduguri road, Sokoto-Tambuwal-Jega road and the Abuja-Keffi-Lafia corridor. The Ajaokuta-Kaduna-Kano (AKK) gas pipeline, neglected by past regimes is being fast tracked. Just weeks ago, President Tinubu approved billions for critical infrastructure in Katsina, Born, and Niger States.
“Kwankwaso’s alarmist rhetoric is not only unfair but also deeply dangerous. It stokes regional tension and paints a false picture of deliberate southern favouritism. Development is a gradual process, and Tinubu has not yet reached the halfway mark of his term. By 2027, and indeed by 2031, every region, including the North, will feel the impact of this administration.
“We must rise above ethnic saboteurs and sectional agitators masquerading as patriots. Let statesmen, not ethnic lords, shape the conversation,” Omololu added.
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