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By Lizzy Chirkpi
Rabiu Kwankwaso, a prominent figure in Kano politics and the New Nigeria People’s Party (NNPP) presidential candidate in the 2023 general elections, has criticized President Bola Tinubu-led administration, accusing it of neglecting Nigeria’s northern region while disproportionately channeling national resources towards the South.
Speaking on Thursday at the Kano State Stakeholders’ Dialogue on the 2025 Constitutional Amendment, Kwankwaso minced no words in his assessment of the current administration’s resource allocation. “Let me advise the Federal Government on the distribution of federal resources. From the information available to us, it’s like most of the national budget is now tilting in one direction in this country,” the former governor stated.
Kwankwaso specifically indicted the ruling All Progressives Congress (APC) for what he described as a lopsided distribution of scarce resources between the country’s two major regions. He warned of dire consequences if the trend continues. “Let me advise those who are struggling by all means to take everything to remember that some of the issues that we have in this part of the country today have to do with the lack of enough resources and mismanagement of the little that comes in. “That is why we have insecurity, we have poverty and so on. It is happening here mainly, but like a desert, it would go everywhere,” he asserted.
He highlighted the deplorable state of infrastructure in the North as a stark contrast to the perceived focus on the South. Kwankwaso recounted his recent arduous journey: “Yesterday, I was to come by air, but unfortunately, my airline decided to shift our takeoff from 3pm to 8pm. I had to come by road. From Abuja to Kaduna to Kano was a hell. Terrible. It’s a very bad road. This is a road started many years ago, right from the beginning of the leadership of the APC.”
He acknowledged the importance of development across the nation but expressed dismay at the perceived imbalance. “Now, we are told that there is a road from the South to the East. We support infrastructure anywhere in this country…and any other thing that is good for the masses but a situation where government is taking our resources and dumping it in one part of the country and other parts of the country are left just like that, I don’t believe that is the right thing to do by the government itself.”
Kwankwaso urged the Tinubu administration to adopt a more equitable approach to resource distribution, ensuring development reaches all corners of the country. “This is the time for the government to change, to convince our people that the government is not just on one side of the country,” he said.
Kwankwaso’s strong remarks come amidst swirling rumors following his recent visit to President Tinubu at the presidential villa on Monday. The meeting has further fueled speculation that President Tinubu is seeking an alliance with the influential northern politician to disrupt the opposition coalition and potentially secure the crucial northern vote bloc ahead of 2027, with whispers even suggesting a possible replacement for the current Vice President, Kashim Shettima Ibrahim.