Northern socio-political groups rally behind Kwankwaso’s claims of systemic neglect, as Afenifere counters with a defense of the South’s development and calls for national unity
A fierce regional debate has erupted following recent comments by former Kano State Governor and New Nigeria People’s Party (NNPP) leader, Rabiu Musa Kwankwaso, who accused President Bola Ahmed Tinubu’s administration of marginalising Northern Nigeria in federal appointments, projects, and resource distribution.
Kwankwaso’s claims, made during a stakeholders’ dialogue on the 2025 Constitutional Amendment in Kano, have galvanized support from several Northern socio-political groups including the Arewa Consultative Forum (ACF), Coalition of Northern Groups (CNG), Arewa Youth Consultative Forum, League of Northern Democrats (LND), and Arewa Youth Consultative Council. They unanimously endorsed his position, warning that the growing sense of exclusion in the North could have long-term national implications.
“From available data, it appears most of the national budget is now tilted in one direction,” Kwankwaso said. “This lopsided distribution is fueling insecurity and poverty in the North.”
His concerns were echoed by ACF's National Publicity Secretary, Prof Tukur Muhammad-Baba, who described the alleged southern favoritism as “glaring,” adding that the North’s significant contribution to Tinubu’s 2023 electoral victory had been met with neglect rather than reward.
The Coalition of Northern Groups’ National Coordinator, Jamilu Charanchi, further criticized the slow pace of critical infrastructure like the Abuja–Kaduna Expressway, saying the North deserves better. “We gave Tinubu the majority of his votes. It’s not wrong to demand fairness,” he insisted.
The League of Northern Democrats, through its convener Umar Ardo, highlighted how key federal financial institutions and ministries are allegedly dominated by Southerners. He cited recent federal investments in cotton processing and dams in southern states, despite the North being the primary producer of cotton, as proof of economic imbalance.
Support also came from grassroots organizations such as the Youth Enlightenment and Development Initiative (Batagarawa Branch) and regional CNG chapters in Gombe and Katsina, which expressed deep frustration over escalating insecurity and economic hardship.
But the Presidency swiftly dismissed the allegations. Presidential aide Sunday Dare described Kwankwaso’s remarks as “incorrect and misleading,” pointing to major infrastructure investments currently underway across the North, including:
The Abuja–Kaduna–Kano Expressway
The Kano–Maiduguri Dual Carriageway
The Kaduna–Jos Road
The Sokoto–Badagry Super Highway
The Ajaokuta–Kaduna–Kano Gas Pipeline
Backing Tinubu’s stance, pan-Yoruba socio-political group Afenifere lambasted Kwankwaso’s claims, calling them “unpatriotic and dangerously divisive.” Afenifere’s Organizing Secretary, Abagun Kole Omololu, argued that the North had been the main beneficiary of federal largesse during the previous Buhari administration, a period Kwankwaso allegedly failed to critique.
“Where was Kwankwaso when Buhari directed the World Bank to focus exclusively on the North? Or when the Kano–Maradi railway, with no clear economic benefit, was completed in the Niger Republic?” Omololu asked.
Afenifere also pointed to recent federal projects launched in the North under Tinubu, including road works in Katsina, Niger, and Borno States, as evidence that development efforts are being fairly spread.
Jare Ajayi, Afenifere’s National Publicity Secretary, labeled Kwankwaso’s remarks “narrow-minded,” and challenged him to acknowledge the internal governance failures within Northern states that contribute to their current challenges.
“Kwankwaso himself admitted there’s mismanagement of the little that comes into the region,” Ajayi noted. “Why blame Tinubu for issues caused by decades of internal decay?”
While some voices like Auwal Maharazu of the Youth Enlightenment group agreed with Kwankwaso’s core concern, they urged caution, patience, and constructive engagement, stressing that Tinubu’s reforms are still unfolding and need time to bear fruit.
As both camps dig in, the controversy underscores deep-rooted regional tensions and perceptions of inequality in Nigeria’s federal system. With 2027 on the horizon, both Tinubu and the North appear poised for a delicate political balancing act — one that may determine the future trajectory of national unity and development.
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