No region is playing second fiddle, ignored —FG

•Alleges distortion of facts, figures
•Says verifiable data shows North-West as biggest beneficiary of projects •Lists project locations, costs

The Federal Government on Sunday frowned on what it called an attempt to inflame passion through a claim that the administration of President Bola Tinubu has favoured a section of the country, especially Lagos State, in the allocation of critical projects and scarce resources.

Both the Minister of information and national orientation, Mohammaed Idris and the Special Adviser, Media and Public Communications to President, Mr Sunday Dare, took a strong exception to the allegation, saying the administration has guaranteed a fair deal to every section of the country since inception two years ago.

The government was responding to a report in the media on Saturday that Lagos, the home state of President Tinubu got projects valued at N3.9 trillion, ostensibly at the expense of the northern part of the country.

In a statement titled: Tinubu has been fair to all sections of Nigeria, the minister decried what he called half-truth and fake information being peddled around on the activities of the Tinubu government.

He emphasised that the administration has been guided, at all times, by the principles of fairness, justice, and equity in the distribution of federal government projects, appointments, and opportunities across all six geopolitical zones of our country.

Idris buttressed his assertion with facts and figures on the projects, values and their locations across all geopolitical zones:

“The distribution of capital projects under President Bola Ahmed Tinubu is equitable. No region is playing a second fiddle or ignored. In addition to projects by various Ministries, Departments and Agencies, all six regions now have Regional Development Commissions to re-kickstart development efforts.

“While the Coastal Highway courses through the South, the Badagry–Sokoto Highway, under construction, traverses majorly the North. This sense of balance runs through all the major infrastructure projects being implemented today.

“Major infrastructural interventions are simultaneously ongoing across the federation—from highways and bridges to rail and power projects. The administration has secured funding for light rail projects in Kano and Kaduna states to the tune of ₦150 billion and ₦100 billion, respectively.

“The metroline projects in Lagos and Ogun States form part of the government’s effort to develop Nigeria’s light rail infrastructure. Collectively, these projects are expected to create over 250,000 jobs nationwide.

“There is also a renewed push for the rehabilitation of the Eastern Corridor of the rail line from Port Harcourt to Maiduguri. In addition, over 1,000 primary health care centres have been rehabilitated across the country, underscoring the administration’s commitment to human capital and social infrastructure,” he stated. .

According to the minister, “From verifiable data, the actual distribution of projects shows the Northwest as the biggest beneficiary:

•Northwest: ₦5.97 trillion (over 40% of approvals)

•South South: ₦2.41 trillion

•North Central: ₦1.13 trillion

•South East: ₦407 billion

•North East: ₦400 billion

•South West (excluding Lagos): ₦604 billion

Legacy Road Projects under President Tinubu:

1.Lagos–Calabar Coastal Highway (750 km): 175 km ongoing in Lagos, Cross River, and Akwa Ibom States.

2.Sokoto–Badagry Superhighway (1,068 km): 378 km ongoing in Kebbi and Sokoto sections.

3.Trans-Sahara Highway (465 km): 118 km ongoing in Ebonyi State.

4.Akwanga–Jos–Bauchi–Gombe Road (439 km): Being redesigned from flexible to rigid pavement for durability.

Out of the total length of these projects, the North accounts for 52% and the South for 48%.

Other Major Projects in the North:

•Sokoto–Gusau–Funtua–Zaria Road (275 km dualised, ₦824bn).

•Abuja–Kaduna–Kano Road (350 km dualised, ₦764bn).

•BUA Tax Credit Road in Jigawa, Katsina, Kano (256 km dualised).

•Zaria–Hunkuyi Road (156 km).

•Kano Northern Bypass (49 km).

•Kano–Maiduguri Road (100.9 km).

•Bama and Dikwa Roads in Borno (100 km).

•Damaturu–Maiduguri Road (110 km).

•Malando Road in Kebbi (76 km).

•Benue–9th Mile Road (250 km dualised, $958m).

•Lokoja–Okene Dualisation (86 km).

•Kaduna–Katsina Roads (Sections 1 and 2, ₦150bn).

Major Projects in the South:

•Lagos–Ibadan (8.5 km, ₦33bn).

•Lagos–Sagamu (12 km dualised).

•Oyo–Ogbomoso–Ilorin (₦146bn).

•Rehabilitation of Carter, Third Mainland, and Eko Bridges (₦120bn).

South East:

•Enugu–Onitsha Road (107 km, ₦202bn via MTN Tax Credit).

•Enugu–Onitsha Road (72 km, ₦150bn via CBC).

•Enugu–Abakaliki Road (36 km).

•2nd Niger Bridge Access Road (17.5 km dualised, ₦175bn).

•Lokpanta–Enugu Road (61 km dualised, ₦100bn).

South South:

•Eleme–Onne Road (30 km, ₦156bn).

•Eket Bypass (9.7 km dualised, ₦76bn).

•East–West Road Section 2 (₦186bn).

•Nembe–Brass Road (₦150bn).

•Lokoja–Benin Dualisation (₦167bn).

•2nd Niger Bridge Access Road in Delta (17 km dualised, ₦146bn).

•Bodo–Bonny Road in Rivers (35 km with 12 bridges, ₦200bn).

“Beyond roads and rail, this administration has also revived the 255MW Kaduna Power Plant, advanced the AKK Gas Project, and expanded oil and gas exploration in the North with the drilling of three oil wells in the Kolmani region of Bauchi and Gombe States. Kano-Maradi rail line, inherited at 5% has received huge funding support from the government making it attain 67% within a short time.”

Similarly, the presidential spokesman, Sunday Dare criticised what he saw as a deliberate attempt to mislead the public by portraying Lagos as being over-pampered while the North is being marginalised by the Tinubu administration.  

In the statement titled:  Why Lagos. Yes Lagos. (And Abuja too). The North Is Mobilized. Not Marginalised, he said numbers without context are not facts. They are distortions—weaponized to inflame rather than inform.

“The attempt to portray Lagos as over-pampered while casting the North as neglected is misleading.” he stressed.

“Let’s start with the North. Far from being abandoned, it anchors over half of the capital budgets for 2024 and 2025 when you account for trunk infrastructure and agricultural investments.”

Under what he called: On the Lagos and Abuja: The Real Picture, Dare wondered on what he described as the fixation on one headline figure, adding: “What did Lagos receive in 2013–2015?  Or 2021–2023? Without period-over-period comparisons—adjusted for inflation, exchange rates, and statutory revenue outturns—any single number is meaningless.

“Lagos is not just a state. It is Africa’s second-largest city economy, with over 23 million residents and hundreds of thousands more arriving every year.

“Every Nigerian ethnicity is represented in Lagos. It is Nigeria in microcosm—a great melting pot straining under infrastructure loads no other state faces.

“And Lagos is not alone. Abuja is becoming the same: one of Africa’s fastest-growing cities, projected to exceed 7 million people by 2030. As the federal capital, it carries the daily weight of the civil service, the diplomatic corps, and a booming private sector.

“That is why President Bola Ahmed Tinubu has given extra care to both Lagos and Abuja. Not as favoritism, but as strategy. When these two urban giants work, Nigeria breathes easier. When they fail, the whole country suffers.Mega-cities demand mega-support. Look abroad:

– New York City receives tens of billions in annual federal transfers, covering housing, health, education, and transport. In FY 2022, New York State and City received $117.5 billion in federal support.

Johannesburg/Gauteng generates one-third of South Africa’s GDP. Its 2025/26 provincial budget tops R172 billion, aligned with federal transport and housing priorities.

“If New York and Johannesburg receive proportional federal support because of their scale, why should Lagos and Abuja be treated differently?

Investing in Lagos and Abuja is not favoritism. It is statecraft.”

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