Premium News
TINUBU FAVOURING LAGOS OVER THE REST OF THE COUNTRY – YAKASAI
Following the Works Minister, Dave Umahi’s announcement that ₦3.6 trillion will be earmarked for the rehabilitation of the underwater structures of the Third Mainland Bridge, a former aide to former Kano State Governor, Salihu Yakasai (@dawisu) has taken a swipe at President Bola Tinubu’s alleged one-sided interests.
Yakasai is a constant critic of the President’s alleged focus on development in only Lagos at the expense of Northern Nigeria and even other states of the South West.
N3.6Trillion for 3rd Mainland Bridge, plus N360Billion for Carter Bridge, that’s roughly N4Trillion again going into Lagos, plus the initial N7Trillion I estimated earlier, totaling over N11Trillion for Lagos alone in 2yrs. I wonder how my bro @otegaogra will spin & defend this.
@dawisu
O’Tega (Tinubu’s SSA):
@dawisu, you know me well enough to know I will never choose propaganda over the truth, regardless of where I work. I don’t need to “spin and defend” any project that is genuinely in the best interest of the country.
President Bola Ahmed Tinubu will continue to prioritise all regions of Nigeria, with tailor-made projects aligned to the unique development needs of each. The evidence is there for anyone willing to look.
So here’s a simple public challenge for you… PICK ANY DATE. I will fly or drive to meet you anywhere in Northern Nigeria, take you on a tour, and show you what President Tinubu is doing in the region. If, at the end, you still believe nothing is being done, fair enough. But visible projects do not lie.
When I last responded to one of your tweets, I didn’t even mention the numerous power projects in Kano alone. Projects funded by the Tinubu–Shettima administration for tertiary institutions, or the Federal Government’s ongoing road project from Kano Airport linking the Abuja expressway straight to Abuja.
In Kano alone for instance, a total of 9.7MW worth of power projects are currently underway:
1.Bayero University Kano – rehabilitation of existing project & upgrade: 5.2MW
2.Aminu Kano Teaching Hospital: 1.5MW
3.Yusuf Maitama Sule University: 2MW
4.Kano State College of Education: 1MW
It would serve your state and community well if you provided full context so people can be informed and, if they choose, demand more from all levels of government (Federal, State, and Local). As a young leader, you also have a responsibility to be factual and allow people to decide for themselves, not by echoing sectional narratives to misinform or disinform.
May the Almighty grant us all wisdom.
Ameen, thumma Ameen
P.s: my challenge extends to others who have consistently made false claims that Northern Nigeria is being ignored.
@o’tegaogra
Nah, you’re too busy and important to fly to Kano and show me projects that I haven’t seen in my own state, my brother. I believe that as a media guru, photos and videos will suffice without troubling you with a visit to Kano.
The Kano Airport Road you mentioned is rehabilitation, it’s part of the N252 billion Abuja-Kaduna-Kano road project reawarded to Infoquest. (I wonder how much the airport to Naibawa section you highlighted will cost out of the total sum)
Let me also address the 9.5MW projects you mentioned. I think it’s telling that these power projects you listed are happening without the people of Kano knowing about them, myself included. This clearly shows the failure of the government’s media team. I would appreciate it if I could also have the contract sum for each.
The other projects you mentioned, (like the Kano-Kaduna train project, Hadejia Road, etc), are inherited projects that were already over 50% completed when PMB left office. An additional ₦44 billion was earmarked in the 2024 budget for rail projects, which also include the Lagos-Ibadan train. I repeat, all these are inherited projects that are almost completed, and President Tinubu is working towards their completion (continuity credit to him). However, we also need new projects, it’s not just Lagos that needs projects.
Where I have a problem with the administration is the lack of spread. I believe you’ve seen the previous projects I listed in my earlier post, totaling over N7trillion. In my post today, I added that to the N4trillion approved by FEC yesterday for two bridges in Lagos, making a total of about N11trillion. Add all the inherited projects in Kano and the proposed new ones, like the Kano metro, and you won’t come up to ₦2 trillion. One would assume that if Lagos gets N11trillion being the state of the President, Kano being the second state with the highest number of votes for him (almost close to that of Lagos) would at least get 2/3 of that, which is close to N4trillion. Forget Kano for a moment, I doubt if the entire 19 Northern States have received N11trillion in funding from this government. (I’m sure you’ll mention Sokoto Badagry, lack of funding is affecting the progress of that project bro). All the above are facts, and you haven’t disputed any of the projects for Lagos or the sum. Why should Lagos receive such huge preferential treatment at the detriment of the rest of the country? Also, at an unprecedented level, we have never seen anything like this before in the history of Nigeria.
These are our issues with the President’s policies, projects, and programs. And I know I don’t have any power to stop him from favoring Lagos over the rest of the country, but it’s only fair that we put it on record that we’ve spoken out about it for posterity’s sake.
