₦airaland Forum

Northern socio-political groups, including the Arewa Consultative Forum, the Coalition of Northern Groups, Arewa Youth Consultative Forum, the League of Northern Democrats, and Arewa Youth Consultative Council, have thrown their weight behind former Kano State Governor and national leader of the New Nigeria People’s Party, Rabiu Musa Kwankwaso, following his claims that the President Bola Tinubu-led administration is marginalising the North in developmental projects and appointments.

Kwankwaso, the 2023 presidential candidate of the NNPP, while speaking during a Stakeholders’ Dialogue on the 2025 Constitutional Amendment organised by the Kano State government, accused Tinubu’s administration of sidelining the northern region, alleging that national resources are being disproportionately channelled towards developing the South, the President’s home region.

He attributed rising poverty and insecurity in the region, as well as deteriorating infrastructure to the neglect of the region by the Tinubu’s administration.

“Let me advise the Federal Government on the distribution of federal resources. From the information available to us, it is like most of the national budget is now tilting in one direction in this country.

“Let me advise those who are struggling by all means to take everything to remember that some of the issues that we have in this part of the country today have to do with the lack of enough resources and mismanagement of the little that comes in.

“That is why we have insecurity, we have poverty and so on. It is happening here mainly, but like a desert, it would go everywhere,” Kwankwaso said.

Reacting to the claims, the Special Adviser on Media and Public Communication to Tinubu, Sunday Dare, described Kwankwaso’s remarks as “incorrect and misleading.”

Dare insisted that the region is benefitting significantly from ongoing federal investments across critical sectors.

He listed key road infrastructure projects such as the Abuja–Kaduna–Kano Expressway, Sokoto–Badagry Super Highway, Kano–Kongolam Road, Kaduna–Jos Road, and the Kano–Maiduguri Dual Carriageway.

However, backing Kwankwaso, the National Publicity Secretary of the ACF, Prof Tukur Muhammad-Baba, said the former Kano governor’s statement echoed widespread concerns of the North over what he described as glaring lopsidedness in the policies and appointments of the Tinubu-led government.

Although the ACF image maker was quick to clarify that his stance was personal and not that of the pan-northern socio-political body, he alleged that allocations, appointments, and developmental projects under Tinubu had been heavily skewed to favour the South-West, at the expense of the North, which played a significant role in his electoral victory.

“The accusations aren’t new. Long before now, the ACF has consistently called out the President Bola Ahmed Tinubu’s administration on the lopsidedness of its policies, appointments, budgetary proposals provisions and projects. The bias is glaring.

“Most of such allocations have unashamedly in favour of the segment of the country from which the President hails,” he alleged.

Muhammad-Baba said the administration’s reluctance to acknowledge the disparity had only deepened public mistrust.

Also speaking, the National Coordinator of the Coalition of Northern Groups, Jamilu Charanchi, described Kwankwaso’s statement as a reflection of the long-held sentiment of the majority in the North, who feel increasingly marginalised under Tinubu’s administration.

He argued that the North gave Tinubu the majority of votes in the 2023 presidential election and deserved a fair share of the national cake.

Charanchi cited the prolonged delay in completing the Abuja-Kaduna expressway, a critical project that has lingered for over a decade, as evidence of the government’s neglect of the region.

“I don’t think there is anything new in what Rabiu Kwankwaso said yesterday because the North has been agitating that Tinubu is sidelining them. For the fact that the North gave him the major votes that brought him into power, but as I always said, he still has a chance, though, you can see him now either correcting or amending his mistakes, created earlier by prioritising other parts than the Northern part of the country.

“Rabiu Kwankwaso stated clearly that the Abuja-Kaduna expressway, which ought to have been finished by now, has still not been completed 10 years later. I think Rabiu Kwankwanso is right, and we urge Tinubu to do the right thing and effect some necessary changes. At least, it will not go against him when the time comes because the North may think that, are not going to be marginalised again, even though the majority of people in the North felt that they had been marginalised in his administration,” Charanchi said.

Also speaking, the Gombe State Coordinator of CNG, Mohammed Deba, lamented that insecurity and poverty in the region had worsened under Tinubu’s administration.

“We are with Kwankwaso on this one. He has said it all, and our anguish has not changed that this government is paying more attention to the southern region than it is to the north, and it’s unfair,” he added.

Continuing, Deba called on the current administration to change tactics, saying “the entire country should be every administration’s focus, not sectional disposition.”

On his part, the Secretary of the Youth Enlightenment and Development Initiative, Batagarawa Branch, Auwal Maharazu, said Kwankwaso spoke out of genuine concern for the development of the North region, adding that the former governor had always been a strong advocate for the North.

“However, while his concerns are valid, I think it’s too early to fully judge Tinubu’s administration. The president has been in office for just over two years, and some of the economic and structural reforms he introduced take time to yield results. Nation-building is a gradual process, and it’s important that we remain patient while also holding our leaders accountable.

“Instead of seeing development in the South as a threat, our leaders in the North should actively engage with the Federal government to ensure balanced growth across all regions. Development should be a shared effort between the federal and state governments.

“My advice to the Tinubu administration is to improve communication with all regions, especially the North, by making project plans, budgets, and implementation strategies more transparent and inclusive. This will build trust and a stronger sense of national belonging,” Maharazu said.

On its part, the LND accused the Tinubu administration of prioritising industrial development in the South while neglecting the North, thereby deepening the region’s economic disparity and underdevelopment.

Speaking with Saturday PUNCH, the convener of the LND, Umar Ardo, said, “In terms of appointments and projects, you know the north has been marginalised. All the critical ministries and financial institutions where money comes in and out are all headed by Southerners, no one Northerner.

“I read a report that in Ogun State, a cotton industry of over N2bn is being built, and the Federal Government has an interest in it. Where do they plant cotton in Ogun? It is planted in northern Nigeria. The Federal Government is also constructing seven agricultural dams, six of which are in the southwest. These are things that the north looks at, and we say we are marginalised.

Also speaking, the National President of Arewa Youth Consultative Council, Zaid Ayuba, lamented that despite the North contributing over 74 per cent of the votes that brought Tinubu into power, the president has continued to neglect the region.

He noted that youths across the 19 northern states had been watching the Tinubu administration’s policies with growing concern.

“We watch with amusement how a lot of policies and activities of the government continue to favour Southern Nigeria while allowing the Northern region to be underdeveloped.

“Northern Nigeria contributed with over 74 per cent of whatever the government needed to have won the election, but the moment Mr President came to power, we began to see from appointments, policies of government and the body language tilting against the north.

“As youths representing our 19 states, we want to use this opportunity to call on the president that there is a day called tomorrow, he will definitely come back to seek re-election, and I believe he cannot become the president of Nigeria again without the support of the north.

“He (Tinubu) should also remember that the country rallied round for him for they believe he was focusing on building Nigeria, not one section of the country, but what we are seeing today, most of the important projects that are being executed by the government are located in the South,” he said.

AMINDA:
Why are Tinubu's Northern appointees not speaking up for the President? Or are their voices not loud enough? This is the repercussion of throwing respected Northern voices to the side in favour of lightweights, sycophants and yes-man from the North that are ever ready to sing the mandate song. Their voices don't resonate with Northerners. Now, Tinubu is finding himself increasingly isolated from the North.

Appletek:
The next Northern President will be a Christian from the North Central.

Racoon:
They have ruled this nation for long and embezzled the resources therein to reckless abandon and bastardized it beyond redemption. Yet kept on complaining of marginalization once out of government.

helinues:
It's absurd for Northerners to be shouting marginalization when it's not that they are drunk

Like Nigeria Northerners, Like Tigray people of Ethiopia

AMINDA:
Why are Tinubu's Northern appointees not speaking up for the President? Or are their voices not loud enough? This is the repercussion of throwing respected Northern voices to the side in favour of lightweights, sycophants and yes-man from the North that are ever ready to sing the mandate song. Their voices don't resonate with Northerners. Now, Tinubu is finding himself increasingly isolated from the North.

Appletek:
The next Northern President will be a Christian from the North Central.

AMINDA:
Why are Tinubu's Northern appointees not speaking up for the President? Or are their voices not loud enough? This is the repercussion of throwing respected Northern voices to the side in favour of lightweights, sycophants and yes-man from the North that are ever ready to sing the mandate song. Their voices don't resonate with Northerners. Now, Tinubu is finding himself increasingly isolated from the North.

Racoon:
They have ruled this nation for long and embezzled the resources therein to reckless abandon and bastardized it beyond redemption. Yet kept on complaining of marginalization once out of government.

Omicron007:
NAME THE REAL PROJECTS STARTED BY YOUR PRESIDENT IN THE NORTH.

MOST OF THE PROJECT HE IS CLAIMING WERE EITHER STARTED BY BUHARI OR JONATHAN.

YOU CAME INTO OFFICE AND YOU AWARD A 15 TRILLION NAIRA COASTAL ROAD THAT WILL START FROM LAGOS.

WHEN THE NORTHERNERS COMPLAINED, HE WANT AND AWARDED A SHAM AND SCAM SOKOTO-BADAGRY HIGHWAY OF FRAUD THAT WILL NOT SEE THE LIGHT OF DAY!

PA AMODA SANGODELE WILL BE SMOKED OUT OF OFFICE TO IRAGBIJI COME 2027.

AMINDA:
Why are Tinubu's Northern appointees not speaking up for the President? Or are their voices not loud enough? This is the repercussion of throwing respected Northern voices to the side in favour of lightweights, sycophants and yes-man from the North that are ever ready to sing the mandate song. Their voices don't resonate with Northerners. Now, Tinubu is finding himself increasingly isolated from the North.

lexy2014:
unfortunately, that should not be the issue.

is there any merit whatsoever in their grouse against tinubu?

are they interested in good governance or their pockets?

Shikini:
Is your tribalistic Tinubu delivering good governance?

jaxxy:
tinubu brought buhari who nearly ruined the North, then tinubu enters and appoints lagos boys in key positions and says the North isn't marginalised.

The showdown in the North in 2027 will be historical.

Tareq1105:
Buhari just finished 8 years rule. If Buhari failed to develop North in 8 years, without criticism from anyone of you, is it Tinubu 2 years and 2 months that you want him to turn North to Washington DC?

Racoon:
They have ruled this nation for long and embezzled the resources therein to reckless abandon and bastardized it beyond redemption.

Yet kept on complaining of marginalization once out of government.

Silasworld:
Please enough of all this marginalization talk.

The whole country is currently marginalize

israelmao:
I may not like Tinubu but the claim that north is being marginalized is false.

North has never being marginalized but always has an advantage over other regions.

edet19892015:
Unless you understand your role in society, you can never make any meaningful contribution.

According to the Greeks, they are three types of people on Earth,
1. The idiots,
2. The tribesmen, and
3. The citizens.

Studies show only 10% of Africans are citizens.
The remaining 90% are either tribesmen or idiots.

1. When the Greeks used the word "Idiot", they did not use it as a curse word.
Idiots are people who just don’t care.
If they sit for exams, they will cheat.
If they are in government they will steal.

An idiot does not care at all, if he eats bananas he throws the peels anywhere instead of putting them in a trash bin.

IDIOTS won't attend monthly neighborhood meetings. They won't pay security dues. They won't contribute to community development. Even when they see or know about something that will harm others in the community they won't report it. When they see/know/have something that will benefit their community they won't share.

In fact, Idiots don't care to register for or vote in an election, yet they complain the most. If they register to vote, IDIOTS will sell their votes for peanuts.

According to the Greeks, some societies have more idiots than tribesmen and citizens.

2. The next set of people are "Tribesmen", these are people that look at everything from the point of view of their tribe.

These are people that believe in you only if you are part of their tribe.
It can be terrible to have a tribesman as a leader, he will alienate the rest.

When the Greeks talk about tribes, it’s not just about ethnicity, they also consider religion, gang membership, group membership, party membership and even cult membership as a tribe.

A great percentage of Africans are tribesmen, because they view everything from the point of view of their tribes. They trust only their tribesmen

3. The last group are "Citizens".
These are people who like to do things the right way.
They will respect traffic light rules even if no one is watching them.

They drive within speed limits.
They respect the laws, and won’t cheat in exams.
In government, they won’t steal.
They are compassionate and give to others to promote their well-being.

Citizens often promote projects that benefit everyone.
The Greeks called this group "The Citizens".

Some countries have more citizens than tribesmen and idiots, others have so many idiots.

A tribesman can become a citizen through orientation.
And an idiot can become a citizen by training and constant enforcement of the law.

But things fall apart if you elect an idiot or tribesman to lead you if he has not been reformed.

Where do you belong? Are you an idiot, a tribesman or a citizen? Reflect on your life.
Reflect about your immediate community, city, state and nation.

#EdetEdemAkpan #Share

ogododo:
https://punchng.com/marginalisation-northern-groups-back-kwankwaso-as-fg-afenifere-push-back/