*Budget office releases data, says report misleading 

*With N5.9tn, Yakubu maintains north not marginalised 

*Describes report as statistical error, deliberate incitement 

*Idris insists Tinubu fair to all sections of Nigeria 

*Lists key projects in every region

Emmanuel Addeh in Abuja

The federal government yesterday strongly repudiated insinuations that the President Bola Tinubu’s administration was unfairly weighed against the North in favour of Lagos and the South-west, the Nigerian leader’s home state and region respectively.
A report by a national newspaper had at the weekend stated that with N3.9 trillion, most of Tinubu’s projects were being cited in Lagos in particular and South-west in general in the last two years of the Tinubu government.

According to the report, the N3.9 trillion represented 111 per cent of the combined sum of N3.56 trillion approved for the South-east, North-west and North-east with 18 states altogether in the last 24 months.
“Findings revealed that during the period under review, the Federal Executive Council (FEC) approved projects worth N5.97 trillion for the South-west; N2.41 trillion for the South-south; N407.49 billion for the South-east; N1.15 trillion for the North-central (including Abuja); N2.7 trillion for the North-west and N403.98 billion for the North-east,” the report said.

However, a response from the Director General of the Budget Office of the Federation, Tanimu Yakubu, described the report as misleading, stressing that it ignored the truth in its entirety.
“The viral chart bundles together national infrastructure—federal highways, coastal transport corridors, and legacy roads—and labels them ‘Lagos-only projects.’ By that logic, the Kano–Maiduguri expressway could be called a ‘Maiduguri-only project.’ It is a sleight of hand that ignores the truth: these are national arteries, not local trophies,” the DG said in a note.
According to Yakubu, the North-west remains the greatest beneficiary of the Tinubu administration with over 40 per cent of the total approvals so far, owning projects valued at N5.7 trillion.

Yakubu stressed that excluding Lagos, the South-west has a miserly N604 billion worth of projects, emphasising that when broken down, the actual value of  projects located in Lagos is about N1.2 trillion.
The nation’s budget office maintained that other projects computed by the report as belonging to Lagos, were actually transport highways that pass through Nigeria’s commercial city.
“When disaggregated, Lagos’ actual exclusive projects—airport fencing, Carter Bridge works, localised upgrades—stand at about N1.2 trillion. The much-touted N2.7 trillion are federal highways and transport links that pass through Lagos but serve the entire federation.

“In short, Lagos is not swallowing the budget; Nigeria is being stitched together through infrastructure. The real numbers paint a starkly different picture. North-west (has) N5.97 trillion (over 40 per cent of all approvals); and South-south: N2.41 trillion.
“North-central: N1.13 trillion;  South-east: N407 billion; North-east: N400 billion; South-west (excluding Lagos): N604 billion. In other words, the North-west—not Lagos—holds the lion’s share. It is the President’s single largest beneficiary,” Yakubu said in the note.

In ‘correcting the propaganda’, the budget office stated that the viral infographic exaggerated Lagos’ share while downplaying the North’s gains, showing side-by-side comparison of ‘misleading vs corrected framing.’
Admitting that without the North-west, there  would have been no Tinubu presidency, the budget office explained that the president has acknowledged this much, reason he has been citing critical projects in the region.
“Let us speak plainly: without the North-west, there would be no Tinubu presidency. The President knows this. He has not forgotten, nor has he been ungrateful,” Yakubu argued.

Specifically, he urged the purveyors of the ‘propaganda’ to consider the Kaduna Power Plant which is 255MW and conceived under the late President Umaru Yar’Adua, but languished in abandonment for years.
“Today, under President Tinubu, it is being revived and put back on track. This is not just a power project—it is a symbol of continuity, respect, and reward for the North. Add to that the Kaduna–Kano expressway, the Kano–Maiduguri highway, the Sokoto–Illela corridor, and massive investments in education and security infrastructure. These are not footnotes. They are the backbone of a deliberate North-west-first investment strategy.

“This is not neglect; it is recognition. It is gratitude made concrete, kilometre by kilometre, megawatt by megawatt,” the budget office stated in the note.
According to the DG, the danger of the viral infographic is not just statistical error—it is deliberate incitement and pits Lagos against Kano, South-west against North-west, as though one region’s progress must mean another’s exclusion. “That is not budgeting. That is blackmail,” it added.
Stressing that Nigerians are wiser, the federal office noted that the records show that every region receives its share, because Tinubu budgets for one economy, one country and one people.
“Lagos is Nigeria’s commercial hub, rightly upgraded. The North-west is Nigeria’s electoral fortress, richly rewarded. Every region receives its share, because Tinubu budgets for one economy, one country, one people,” the the budget office explained.

According to Yakubu, despite efforts to water down the efforts of the Tinubu administration, the beneficiaries of the many interventions by the Tinubu-led administration will not forget in a hurry how they have been positively impacted by the current government.
“History will not remember the viral graphics. It will remember the farmers in Katsina whose produce reaches markets in Lagos, the power that lights up Kaduna through Yar’Adua’s plant, revived by Tinubu, and the schools and hospitals springing up across Sokoto and Zamfara.
“President Bola Ahmed Tinubu has not marginalised the North. He has trusted it, invested in it, and rewarded it. That is the record. That is the fact. That is the truth. And no infographic, however colourful, can bury it,” the country’s budget office pointed out.

Besides, the report by the newspapers had said: “The present administration has been accused of marginalising one section of the country in favour of the other, adding that “Some groups, especially the Arewa Consultative Forum (ACF), have at various times accused the president of taking more infrastructural development and appointments to the South than the North.”
Meanwhile, the Minister of Information and National Orientation, Mohammed Idris, yesterday described the report as half-truths and fake information being circulated, stressing Tinubu’s administration has been guided, at all times, by the principles of fairness, justice, and equity in the distribution of federal government projects, appointments, and opportunities across all six geopolitical zones of our country.

“Contrary to the perception being pushed in some quarters, this administration has demonstrated uncommon commitment to balanced development and inclusivity since assuming office. The distribution of capital projects under President Bola Ahmed Tinubu is equitable. No region is playing a second fiddle or ignored.

“ In addition to projects by various Ministries, Departments and Agencies (MDAs), all six regions now have Regional Development Commissions to re-kickstart development efforts. While the Coastal Highway courses through the South, the Badagry–Sokoto Highway, under construction, traverses majorly the North. This sense of balance runs through all the major infrastructure projects being implemented today.

“Major infrastructural interventions are simultaneously ongoing across the federation—from highways and bridges to rail and power projects. The administration has secured funding for light rail projects in Kano and Kaduna states to the tune of N150 billion and N100 billion, respectively.

“The metroline projects in Lagos and Ogun States form part of the government’s effort to develop Nigeria’s light rail infrastructure. Collectively, these projects are expected to create over 250,000 jobs nationwide.

“There is also a renewed push for the rehabilitation of the Eastern Corridor of the rail line from Port Harcourt to Maiduguri. In addition, over 1,000 primary health care centres have been rehabilitated across the country, underscoring the administration’s commitment to human capital and social infrastructure,” the minister said in a statement.

From verifiable data, he stated that the actual distribution of projects shows the North-west has the biggest beneficiary, aligning with the budget office of the federation.

“Legacy Road Projects under President Tinubu:  Lagos–Calabar Coastal Highway (750 km): 175 km ongoing in Lagos, Cross River, and Akwa Ibom States. Sokoto–Badagry Superhighway (1,068 km): 378 km ongoing in Kebbi and Sokoto sections. Trans-Sahara Highway (465 km): 118 km ongoing in Ebonyi State. Akwanga–Jos–Bauchi–Gombe Road (439 km): Being redesigned from flexible to rigid pavement for durability.

“Out of the total length of these projects, the North accounts for 52 per cent and the South for 48 per cent. Other Major Projects in the North (include): Sokoto–Gusau–Funtua–Zaria Road (275 km dualised, N824bn); Abuja–Kaduna–Kano Road (350 km dualised, N764bn); BUA Tax Credit Road in Jigawa, Katsina, Kano (256 km dualised).

  “Others are: Zaria–Hunkuyi Road (156 km); Kano Northern Bypass (49 km); Kano–Maiduguri Road (100.9 km); Bama and Dikwa Roads in Borno (100 km); Damaturu–Maiduguri Road (110 km); Malando Road in Kebbi (76 km); Benue–9th Mile Road (250 km dualised, $958m);  Lokoja–Okene Dualisation (86 km); Kaduna–Katsina Roads (Sections 1 and 2, N150bn),” the statement noted.

Besides, it listed the projects in the South as:  Lagos–Ibadan (8.5 km, N33bn);  Lagos–Sagamu (12 km dualised);  Oyo–Ogbomoso–Ilorin (N146bn); Rehabilitation of Carter, Third Mainland, and Eko Bridges (N120bn).

In the South-east, the federal government mentioned the Enugu–Onitsha Road (107 km, N202bn via MTN Tax Credit); Enugu–Onitsha Road (72 km, N150bn via CBC); Enugu–Abakaliki Road (36 km); 2nd Niger Bridge Access Road (17.5 km dualised, N175bn) and Lokpanta–Enugu Road (61 km dualised, N100bn).

In the same vein, in the South-south, it listed: the Eleme–Onne Road (30 km, N156bn); Eket Bypass (9.7 km dualised, N76bn);  East–West Road Section 2 (N186bn); Nembe–Brass Road (N150bn); Lokoja–Benin Dualisation (N167bn); 2nd Niger Bridge Access Road in Delta (17 km dualised, N146bn) and Bodo–Bonny Road in Rivers (35 km with 12 bridges, N200bn).

“Beyond roads and rail, this administration has also revived the 255MW Kaduna Power Plant, advanced the AKK Gas Project, and expanded oil and gas exploration in the North with the drilling of three oil wells in the Kolmani region of Bauchi and Gombe States. Kano-Maradi rail line, inherited at 5 per cent has received huge funding support from the government making it attain 67 per cent within a short time.

“President Tinubu is building national infrastructure, not local trophies. Lagos is rightly upgraded as Nigeria’s commercial hub, but the North-west holds the lion’s share of approvals. This proves that all regions are receiving fair consideration,” the minister stressed.

Similarly, Idris stated that equity is also evident in federal appointments, noting that Tinubu has consistently appointed capable Nigerians from every part of the country, guided by competence and inclusivity rather than sectional considerations.

“Inclusivity lies at the heart of the Renewed Hope Agenda. The establishment of five new Regional Development Commissions and the creation of the Federal Ministry of Livestock Development further illustrate the President’s determination to address Nigeria’s unique developmental needs in a manner that benefits all sections of the country.

“On the whole, President Bola Ahmed Tinubu has not only kept faith with Nigerians but has proven himself to be a fair, pragmatic, and consequential reformer. His leadership is inclusive, his vision is unifying, and his commitment to equity and justice is unwavering. Nigerians can rest assured that under his watch, no part of this country will be left behind,’ the minister assured.

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