The Senior Special Adviser to President Bola Tinubu on Print Media, Abdulaziz Abdulaziz, has responded to criticisms regarding the spread of federal road projects under the current administration.
Speaking on Channels Television’s programme The Morning Brief on Monday, Abdulaziz said the government’s approach to infrastructure is guided by economic logic, not regional sentiments.
He was reacting to remarks by Rabiu Kwankwaso, the 2023 presidential candidate of the New Nigeria Peoples Party, NNPP. Kwankwaso had accused the Tinubu-led administration of diverting limited resources to southern Nigeria at the expense of the North.
Addressing the allegations, Abdulaziz stressed that the projects are aimed at national development rather than regional favouritism.
“We should look at things as national projects and not as northern or southern projects, which is a major problem. 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 insisted that fairness has been upheld in the allocation of projects and that no region has been left behind.
“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,” he added.
On the claim that the Abuja-Kaduna-Kano Road has been neglected, Abdulaziz dismissed it, saying construction has resumed on the route, which serves as a critical link in the North-West.
He also highlighted the ongoing Sokoto-Badagry Road, pointing out that its scale and importance match that of the Lagos-Calabar Coastal Road, reinforcing the government’s commitment to balanced development.