Umahi debunks Kwankwaso’s claim, says Tinubu has favoured north in road projects

Nigeria’s Minister of Works, Engr. David Umahi, has dismissed claims by Senator Rabiu Musa Kwankwaso alleging marginalization of Northern Nigeria in federal road infrastructure under President Bola Ahmed Tinubu’s administration.

Umahi described Kwankwaso’s statement as “absolutely false, misleading, and self-serving,” stating that President Tinubu has, in fact, directed more road projects to the North than the South.

In a strongly worded statement issued Friday, Umahi accused the former Kano State governor of deliberately spreading misinformation to deceive Nigerians, especially Northerners.

According to the Minister, the statement was a political attempt to position himself as a defender of the North and inherit the legacy of former President Muhammadu Buhari.

He argued that emulating Buhari’s legacy requires decades of integrity, honesty, and commitment to national unity, not “deceit and divisive rhetoric.”

Umahi highlighted what he described as four major “legacy projects” under President Tinubu’s administration, asserting that 52% of ongoing works are in the North compared to 48% in the South.

He provided detailed updates on these legacy roads, including the 1,068km Sokoto-Badagry Superhighway, of which 378km is under construction in Kebbi and Sokoto States.

He compared this to the Lagos-Calabar Coastal Highway, where only 175km is currently ongoing in Lagos, Cross River, and Akwa Ibom States. He also cited the Trans-Saharan road, cutting across both Southern and Northern states, and the Akwanga-Jos-Bauchi-Gombe Road, which is undergoing redesign for more durable concrete pavement.

Beyond these legacy projects, Umahi revealed that several high-value road contracts are actively ongoing across the North.

These include the ₦824 billion Sokoto-Zamfara-Katsina-Kaduna road project and the ₦764 billion Abuja-Kaduna-Kano dual carriageway.

He also mentioned projects being executed under the BUA Tax Credit scheme and NNPC Tax Credit programme in Jigawa, Katsina, Kano, Borno, Benue, and Kebbi States.

In Borno State alone, he noted that multiple road projects, including the Bama and Dikwa roads and a 110km ring road, are under construction. Other significant projects include the 250km dualized Benue to 9th Mile road and sections of the Kaduna-Katsina road valued at ₦150 billion.

The Minister stated that 80% of these Northern projects were initiated by the Buhari administration but had stalled before President Tinubu revived them with fresh funding.

He said critics like Kwankwaso would have also complained had President Tinubu abandoned them, proving that the administration is being unfairly attacked regardless of its efforts.

Umahi also listed a number of ongoing projects in the South, including the completion of sections of the Lagos-Ibadan Expressway, flyovers on the Lagos-Sagamu route, the East-West Road, the Second Niger Bridge access roads, and major works on Carter, Eko, and Third Mainland bridges. He stressed that while these are significant, the scale of projects in the North surpasses them in volume and financial value.

He added that the South-East and South-West zones received just 4% and 5% respectively of the total value of NNPC Tax Credit roads, compared to 53% allocated to the North.

The Minister said some Southern roads, such as the Ibadan-Oyo expressway, Ife-Ilesa-Akure-Benin road, and Ore-Sagamu corridor, remain abandoned or underfunded, prompting accusations that he is focusing on the North.

He noted, however, that he has made appeals to the President for funds to rehabilitate key infrastructure in the South, particularly in Lagos, where major bridges face severe structural challenges that could pose economic risks if not addressed.

Umahi concluded by calling on Senator Kwankwaso to retract his comments and apologize to President Tinubu, insisting that his statement lacked factual basis.

He also announced plans to publish a comprehensive list of all inherited and new road projects above ₦20 billion across the six geopolitical zones in the coming week to provide full transparency.

The Minister urged Nigerians to disregard what he described as Kwankwaso’s divisive rhetoric, assuring that President Tinubu remains committed to equitable development across the country with fairness, justice, and the fear of God.