• Region not marginalised, say Lalong, Shema, Nyame
The North is not marginalised under the administration of President Bola Ahmed Tinubu, prominent leaders from the region said on Tuesday.
They cited ongoing road construction, energy infrastructure and educational interventions as evidence of the administration’s impact on the region.
The leaders, under the aegis of Arewa for Asiwaju (A4A), said Tinubu’s performance in the last three years would earn him massive votes in the North in the 2027 general election.
Their leader, Senator Ibrahim Shekarau, made the declaration when he led group members to visit the All Progressives Congress (APC) National Working Committee (NWC) at the party’s national secretariat in Abuja.
The visit coincided with the inauguration of the dualisation of the Lambata-Bida-Mokwa-Makera-Kontagora Federal Highway in Bida, Niger State, by Works Minister Dave Umahi, who said the Federal Government was executing 5,500 kilometres of road projects nationwide, including 1,055 kilometres in Niger State.
Shekarau, accompanied by former governors Tanko Jolly Nyame (Taraba), Joshua Dariye (Plateau), Yahaya Bello (Kogi), Abubakar Badaru (Jigawa) and Ibrahim Shema (Katsina), as well as the group’s secretary, Hajiya Hadiza Bala Usman, said A4A would campaign on the administration’s record.
He presented what he described as an audit of federal projects across the 19 northern states and the Federal Capital Territory (FCT), including more than 3,000 kilometres of strategic roads, the Ajaokuta-Kaduna-Kano (AKK) gas pipeline and agricultural interventions.
Shekarau said the movement was established to mobilise voters across the North and the FCT for Tinubu’s re-election.
“The A4A concept is an idea put together to ensure the mobilisation of the teeming population up here in the North, 19 northern states, and the FCT,” he said.
He added that the group was committed to national unity and the APC’s success across the country, but wanted the North to increase its contribution to the President’s electoral performance.
“We want to make sure the North, with the largest population and voters, is mobilised to ensure our numbers are not only repeated, but more than tripled,” he said.
Shekarau expressed concern about voter apathy in the region, saying the group had established 20 operational directorates and appointed coordinators at state, local government and ward levels.
He said the movement would publicise federal projects to counter claims that the North had been neglected.
“Many of us were positively surprised when the chairman rolled out the various projects and programmes carried out up North – most of which are unknown to the large population except in areas where they are occurring,” he said.
Deputy Chairman of the A4A Board of Trustees, Senator Simon Lalong, described the group as a political reserve force deploying its experience to strengthen the ruling party.
“Anywhere we see weakness, the reserves will step in with experience. We know that without the North, nobody wins presidential elections in Nigeria,” he said.
Lalong, a former Plateau State governor, said the group included former governors, serving and former senators, ministers and former legislative leaders. He added that it would operate under the party’s leadership.
APC National Chairman Prof. Nentawe Yilwatda welcomed the initiative, saying the composition of the group challenged opposition claims that Tinubu had neglected the North.
APC cites road, gas, education projects
Yilwatda said more than 3,000 kilometres of roads were under construction or procurement across the North, citing projects linking Abuja and Kano, Maiduguri and Kano, Sokoto and Illela, as well as roads connecting other northern communities.
He said the Abuja-Kano road covered 441 kilometres, while the Maiduguri-Kano corridor was about 560 kilometres.
“When I put the figures together, roads currently under construction or procured in the North alone stand at slightly over 3,000 kilometres,” he said.
The APC chairman also highlighted the AKK gas pipeline, saying it would expand access to gas for power generation, industrial development and domestic use.
According to him, the project would enable northern states to establish independent power plants and local electricity grids, supporting industrial corridors such as Kano’s Export Processing Zone.
He said the gas infrastructure would also provide compressed natural gas (CNG), cooking gas and raw materials for fertiliser production.
Yilwatda further cited the Nigerian Education Loan Fund (NELFUND), saying northern youths were among the largest beneficiaries of student loans and that the initiative was helping to address educational marginalisation.
He urged A4A to organise a world press conference to publicise the projects and integrate its grassroots structures into the APC’s electoral planning ahead of 2027.
“In just three years – not eight – President Tinubu has executed projects of this magnitude for us,” he said.
He added that the party intended to secure sweeping victories in presidential, governorship and legislative elections.
Umahi seeks continuity for road projects
At the Bida highway inauguration, Umahi said the Federal Government was executing 5,500 kilometres of new and ongoing road projects nationwide, with Niger State accounting for 1,055 kilometres.
He said the administration needed another four-year term to complete ongoing projects and improve infrastructure across the six geopolitical zones.
The minister described the Niger highway as a potential fifth legacy road project of the Tinubu administration, citing its scale, reinforced concrete pavement and involvement of the Dangote Group under the Federal Government’s infrastructure tax-credit scheme.
He said 162 kilometres of roads and 115 metres of bridges had been completed in the Northcentral region.
Umahi commended Niger State Governor Mohammed Umaru Bago for constructing more than 300 kilometres of roads, over five flyovers and an underpass.
He said the governor’s willingness to invest in infrastructure, irrespective of whether a road fell under federal or state jurisdiction, demonstrated commitment to development.
The minister attributed the government’s infrastructure programme to Tinubu’s economic reforms, which he said had created opportunities for investment in critical projects.
He also praised the President for approving the highway, saying it would improve connectivity within Niger State and strengthen links between the Northcentral region and other parts of the country.
Special Adviser to the President of the Dangote Group, Mansir Ahmed, said the company was pleased to participate in the project through the tax-credit scheme.
He described the highway as a strategic economic corridor, adding that it would be built with concrete pavement and construction would begin from four locations to accelerate delivery.
Ahmed said the road would ease the movement of agricultural produce, commercial goods and industrial materials, while improving access to markets and creating business opportunities for young people.
Umahi urged residents to support the administration, arguing that continuity would enable it to complete ongoing infrastructure projects.
