MINISTER of Works, David Umahi, has called on former Kano State governor and 2023 presidential candidate, Senator Rabiu Musa Kwankwaso, to apologise to President Bola Ahmed Tinubu for accusing the administration of favouring the South in its infrastructural projects.
In a strongly worded statement shared on Saturday via the X handle of Presidential Adviser on Information and Strategy, Bayo Onanuga, Umahi described Kwankwaso’s comments as divisive, misleading, and unfounded.
“To my brother, Senator Kwankwaso, you owe our President Tinubu an apology and a duty to withdraw your statement using the information I have provided herein for the benefit of Nigerians and the unity of the nation,” Umahi said.
He urged Nigerians to disregard Kwankwaso’s claim, maintaining that the Tinubu administration is implementing development projects equitably across all regions of the country.
Umahi said Kwankwaso’s statements made during a stakeholders’ dialogue in Kano on constitutional amendments were calculated to mislead northern Nigerians and portray himself as a protector of the region.
“His remarks appear to be part of a desperate attempt to inherit the legacy of the late President Muhammadu Buhari through division and deceit,” Umahi added.
He listed several major federal road projects currently ongoing in the North, such as:
Sokoto–Badagry Superhighway (1,068 km): with 378 km currently under construction in Kebbi and Sokoto States.
Akwanga–Jos–Bauchi–Gombe Road (439 km): being upgraded to rigid pavement for long-term durability.
Additional projects in Kano, Kebbi, Sokoto, Borno, and Adamawa.
He emphasized that in the four major “legacy projects” of the administration, the North accounts for 52% of development, while the South holds 48%.
Umahi questioned why critics always highlight the Lagos-Calabar Coastal Highway, while ignoring other large-scale projects in the North.
“Lagos only has 220 km of the Lagos-Calabar road. But Kebbi alone has 316 km of six-lane highway ongoing, Sokoto has 240 km. So why is no one talking about that?” Umahi asked.
He stressed that President Tinubu has shown more developmental fairness to the North than any recent administration, especially in Northwest Nigeria, where Kwankwaso hails from.
Earlier in the week, Kwankwaso had accused the Tinubu administration of marginalising the North, claiming that the federal budget appears to favour one part of the country.
“It’s like most of the national budget is now tilting in one direction… That is why we have insecurity, we have poverty, and so on. It is happening here mainly,” Kwankwaso said during a public dialogue in Kano.
He warned that the effects of resource imbalance and neglect of the North could eventually spread across the entire country if not addressed.
Concluding his rebuttal, Umahi said Kwankwaso’s comments were not only inaccurate but also dangerous to national unity.
“President Tinubu is a fair leader, committed to developing every region with equity, justice, and the fear of God,” he affirmed.