FG has allocated over 50% of capital budget to North — Budget Office
By Kunle Sanni –
The Federal Government has defended its infrastructure spending pattern, stating that more than half of the capital budgets for 2024 and 2025 have been allocated to projects and programmes in northern Nigeria.
This clarification comes amid rising criticism from prominent northern political figures, including former Kano State governor Rabiu Kwankwaso, former Secretary to the Government of the Federation Babachir Lawal, and Arewa Consultative Forum (ACF) Chairman Bashir Dalhatu, who have accused the Bola Tinubu-led administration of neglecting the region in federal infrastructure plans.
Speaking in Abuja, Director-General of the Budget Office of the Federation, Tanimu Yakubu, in a report by The Cable on Monday, dismissed the allegations as “politically motivated” and “unfounded.” He stressed that the Tinubu administration is prioritising balanced regional development and has committed substantial resources to northern infrastructure.
“Contrary to politically motivated narratives, northern Nigeria is not on the margins. It is at the heart of federal investment priorities,” Yakubu said.
“Over 50% of the capital budget for 2024 and 2025 is traceable to projects and programmes in the North, when national trunk infrastructure and water basin investments are properly accounted for.”
Among the major projects highlighted by Yakubu is the ongoing dualisation of the Abuja–Kano expressway and the ₦12.1 trillion Sokoto–Badagry superhighway — a 1,068-kilometre cross-regional corridor. The federal government has already approved ₦3.63 trillion for the initial phases of the highway in Sokoto and Kebbi states.
Other significant investments include the Kano–Maradi standard gauge railway, the Zungeru–Kano power transmission line, airport runway upgrades in Katsina, Maiduguri, and Kaduna, as well as inland dry ports in Funtua and Bauchi to enhance agro-exports and logistics.
Yakubu also emphasized the government’s commitment to water resource management in the region through the revitalization of river basin development authorities, particularly in the Sokoto-Rima and Upper Benue basins. He said these efforts target improved irrigation, flood control, and rural livelihoods.
