Presidency defends Tinubu’s record in North-West, highlights key projects ahead of tour

The Presidency of Nigeria has dismissed claims that President Bola Ahmed Tinubu has sidelined the North-West, insisting that the administration has delivered substantial investments across infrastructure, healthcare, and transportation in the region.

Officials made this known on Monday in Abuja during a media briefing organised by the Renewed Hope Ambassadors ahead of a nationwide project inspection tour set to begin in Kaduna and extend across North-West states.

As part of its defence, the presidency pointed to several ongoing projects, including a $2 billion standard-gauge railway linking Kano to Maradi in the Niger Republic, which it said has reached 60 per cent completion.

Speaking at the briefing, the Senior Special Assistant to the President on Media and Special Duties, Tunde Rahman, said the tour aims to correct what he described as widespread misconceptions about the administration’s performance in the region.

Rahman said, “A lot of people are saying that the President has not kept his promise with the North. This is not correct.

“You will see for yourselves the projects put in place by Mr President. He started in the North in the area of works, road networks, health facilities that have been built and transportation, like the rail system from Kano down to Maradi.”

He added that the initiative is being driven by the Renewed Hope Ambassadors, which he described as the main platform advancing the President’s re-election message.

Rahman explained, “We are not reinventing the wheel. We are putting together all the achievements of Mr President and presenting them to the whole of Nigeria so that Nigerians can see that a lot has been done in the last three years.”

Also speaking, the Special Adviser to the President on Information and Strategy, Bayo Onanuga, said the tour was conceived to address an information gap that has fuelled scepticism about government performance.

He said, “If we don’t blow our trumpet, no one will blow it for us.

“We are carrying the media along so they can see for themselves the many projects being done across the country, projects that have a direct impact on our people.

“Someone posted about a completed road on social media and said, ‘I didn’t know such a project existed.’ That is why we are doing this.”

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The session also featured a technical presentation by the Director of Rail Transport Services at the Federal Ministry of Transportation, Finbarr Zirra, who described the North-West as central to Nigeria’s rail modernisation strategy.

Zirra traced the challenges of the rail sector to colonial-era planning, arguing that it was not originally structured to support national development.

“The plan at that time did not intend to integrate us or make our resources available for national development,” he said, adding, “Towards the 1970s, the railway sector degenerated to a point where government investment declined and was essentially replaced by road infrastructure.”

He noted that a 25-year Railway Master Plan introduced in 2002 aims to revitalise and modernise the network, with recent progress recorded under the current administration.

On the Lagos-Kano standard gauge corridor, which he described as the backbone of the rail network, Zirra said multiple segments are already operational or nearing completion.

“The part to Kano has been completed,” he confirmed, adding that the link from Kaduna to Abuja was expected to be operational by the end of the year.

He disclosed that the Kano–Katsina–Maradi extension, spanning roughly 400 kilometres, remains the largest rail project in the North-West, with significant progress already made.

“The total length of this package is about 400 kilometres, and work is progressing. By the end of the year, Kano to Katsina is expected to be completed,” Zirra said.

According to him, Kano will serve as a major hub upon completion, with four rail lines converging in the city, making it a critical node in the national transport network.

He highlighted the economic impact of rail development, noting that improved logistics could ease pressure on roads and reduce costs.

“One movement of a fully loaded train will take approximately 30 trucks off the road.

“If we are able to do that consistently, the impact on road maintenance, logistics costs and the cost of goods will be enormous.

“The multiplier effect of a functional rail corridor is felt in every other sector.”

Zirra also revealed plans for a privately funded high-speed rail project estimated at N200bn, covering the Lagos-Kano route and a separate Lagos-Port Harcourt corridor.

The briefing comes shortly after the Renewed Hope Ambassadors launched a digital platform showcasing key achievements of the administration.

Chairman of the group and Governor of Imo State, Hope Uzodimma, said the platform would provide verified information to enhance public understanding of government policies and counter misinformation.

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