The Arewa Consultative Forum (ACF) accused the Tinubu-led Nigerian government of sidelining Northern region in budget allocations and critical development, despite the North contributing more than 64% of the total votes that brought him to power.
Two years into the administration of President Bola Tinubu, northern leaders say the region that gave him the bulk of his electoral support has been left behind — both in policy and in projects.
The Arewa Consultative Forum (ACF) accused the Tinubu-led Nigerian government of sidelining Northern region in budget allocations and critical development, despite the North contributing more than 64% of the total votes that brought him to power.
The comments were said to have been made at a two-day citizen engagement forum organised by the Sir Ahmadu Bello Memorial Foundation in Kaduna on Tuesday by Alhaji Bashir M. Dalhatu, Wazirin Dutse and Chairman of the ACF Board of Trustees.
He alleged that the North has been “largely excluded” from key governance processes.
“The North, which contributed over 64% of Tinubu’s total votes in the 2023 general elections, has been largely excluded from critical policy decisions and project implementation,” he said.
His remarks mirrored long-standing complaints among northern stakeholders who have accused President Tinubu’s administration of prioritising the South, especially in federal appointments and infrastructure projects.
“To our surprise, those who did not support him, did not vote for him, and hardly wished him well have emerged from nowhere and are now attempting to drive a wedge between him and the North,” Dalhatu added, warning that the North’s political goodwill was being taken for granted.
Dalhatu cited federal budget figures to back up his claims, stating: “For instance, of the N1.013 trillion allocated to roads in the current federal budget, only N24 billion — less than 1% — was earmarked for projects in the North East.”
Referencing a May 2025 press release from the Federal Ministry of Works, he added: “The regional breakdown is telling — South West received N1.394 trillion, South East, N205 billion, North West, N105 billion, and North East, just N30 billion. Sadly, this discriminatory practice is not hidden — it is now done openly, without apology.”
He further lamented the absence of any significant federal road project in the region: “Unlike the Lagos-Ibadan Expressway or the Second Niger Bridge, not a single road of strategic importance to the North has been completed or properly maintained in the last twenty years,” he said.
On agriculture, another major concern for the North, Dalhatu accused the Tinubu administration of failing to prioritise a sector that employs millions in the region.
“Despite the apparent goodwill of the Tinubu administration, budgetary allocations to agriculture remain under 5%, far below the 25% recommended by the FAO,” he said.
Recently, SaharaReporters reported that the Bola Tinubu Presidency dismissed recent claims by the former presidential candidate of the New Nigerian Peoples Party (NNPP), Senator Rabiu Musa Kwankwaso, that the Tinubu’s administration has sidelined Northern Nigeria.
The presidency insisted that the region is fully covered in the Nigerian development plans and infrastructure investment.
Kwankwaso had reportedly accused President Tinubu’s administration of sidelining the northern region, alleging that national resources are being disproportionately channelled towards developing the South, the President’s home region.
With growing discontent in the North, political analysts warn that President Tinubu may face mounting pressure to recalibrate his policies or risk losing vital northern support ahead of the 2027 elections — support that was instrumental to his rise but now appears fragile.
But in a response titled “Senator Kwankwaso, You Are Wrong. Northern Nigeria Not Left Behind”, the Presidency outlined dozens of federal government projects currently ongoing across the North under the Tinubu administration, stressing that the North remains a central focus of the government’s development agenda.
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