The Senior Special Adviser to President Bola Tinubu on Print Media, Abdulaziz Abdulaziz, has reaffirmed that the Federal Government’s ongoing road infrastructure projects are being implemented based on their economic importance rather than regional considerations.
Speaking on The Morning Brief, a programme aired on Channels Television on Monday, Mr Abdulaziz responded to recent criticisms made by Rabiu Kwankwaso, presidential candidate of the New Nigeria Peoples Party (NNPP) in the 2023 general election. Kwankwaso had accused the Tinubu-led administration of diverting limited national resources towards the development of roads in southern Nigeria, to the detriment of the northern region.
Dismissing the allegations, Abdulaziz maintained that the Tinubu administration views all infrastructure projects as national undertakings, not regional favours. He emphasised that the government’s decisions are driven by the potential economic benefits of each project, rather than their geographical location.
“We should look at things as national projects and not as northern or southern projects, which is a major problem,” he said.
“The most important thing is what value the projects bring and not because they are sited in the North or the South. What are the economic benefits of these roads?”
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He went on to state that the administration is committed to fairness and equity in the distribution of infrastructure, adding that no region has been sidelined under the current government.
“Of course, there is the need for justice, there is the need for fairness, which I am sure nobody could accuse this government of being unfair to the North or being unfair to the South because projects are being sited equally,” Abdulaziz said.
Addressing the claim that the Abuja-Kaduna-Kano expressway has been abandoned, the presidential aide clarified that construction activities have resumed on the crucial route, which serves as a major artery in the North-West geopolitical zone.
He also cited the ongoing Sokoto-Badagry Road project as evidence of the government’s balanced approach. The road, which traverses a large part of northern Nigeria, is being constructed alongside the Lagos-Calabar Coastal Road in the South, illustrating what Abdulaziz described as a “nationally inclusive” infrastructure agenda.
The statement comes as part of the Federal Government’s broader efforts to defend its infrastructure development strategy and counter narratives of regional bias amid rising political scrutiny.
