Senator Rabiu Musa Kwankwaso, the 2023 presidential candidate of the New Nigeria People’s Party (NNPP), has accused President Bola Tinubu’s administration of marginalising northern Nigeria in the allocation of national resources.
Speaking during the Kano State Stakeholders’ Dialogue on the 2025 Constitutional Amendment on Thursday, July 24, Kwankwaso lamented the ‘deplorable state of federal roads in the North,’ recounting his recent ordeal travelling from Abuja to Kano by road.
“Yesterday, I was to come by air. Unfortunately, my airline shifted our departure from 3 to 8 p.m., so I had to come by road. The journey from Abuja to Kaduna to Kano was terrible — the road is in a very bad condition,” he said.
Kwankwaso criticized the ‘neglect of critical infrastructure in the North,’ alleging that while new roads are being constructed in the South and East, long-standing projects in the North remain abandoned.
“We support infrastructure development anywhere in this country. In fact, I told myself I wish that road had been completed before the 2023 elections. I was the only candidate who travelled to all parts of this country, and I would have used that road,” he said.
“But a situation where government is taking our resources and dumping them in one part of the country, while others are neglected — that’s not right. This is the time for the government to demonstrate fairness and prove it governs the entire country.”
On the constitutional review, Kwankwaso called on lawmakers from Kano to unite and defend the state’s interests. He reflected on past constitutional amendments and expressed concern over representatives who, he alleged, were compromised by powerful interests.
“We’ve seen instances where wealthy individuals raised huge sums to influence lawmakers, especially in the National Assembly. This has led to an imbalanced distribution of resources across the country,” he said.
Kwankwaso urged current legislators to resist external influence and prioritize the needs of their constituents.
“We’re aware the rich are again working to take from the poor. Regardless of party affiliations, lawmakers must remain firm and do the right thing,” he said.
