Salihu Tanko Yakasai, a former Kano governorship candidate popularly known as Dawisu, has accused President Bola Ahmed Tinubu’s administration of disproportionately concentrating federal infrastructure projects in Lagos State. In a post on his verified social media page, Yakasai argued that this pattern of investment threatens national unity and fuels regional inequality, suggesting that the President is acting more as a representative of Lagos than of Nigeria as a whole.
Yakasai highlighted several high-value projects as evidence of this “trillions-naira investment concentration in Lagos.” He specifically cited the N15 trillion Lagos-Calabar Coastal Highway, the $651 million 7th Axial Road, a proposed $2 billion Lagos Light Rail project, the University of Lagos Power Project, and the Renewed Hope City initiative. While acknowledging the importance of these developments, he questioned the scale and sheer volume of federal funds being allocated to a single state compared to others.
The political commentator’s post drew a sharp comparison between the situation in Lagos and that of other regions, including his home state of Kano, where he argued that similar levels of federal investment are noticeably absent. He challenged the notion that only Lagos is economically viable, stating that if significant investments were made in other states, they too could flourish economically. Yakasai concluded by stating that while a president’s home state may receive some preferential treatment, the current scale of investment in Lagos is unprecedented and detrimental to the rest of the country.
Yakasai’s comments echo similar criticisms from other politicians who have accused the Tinubu administration of favoring southern Nigeria over the northern region. A presidential aide, however, previously dismissed such accusations as incorrect, asserting that the administration has initiated and continued several landmark projects in the North. This official counter-narrative suggests a broader political debate is brewing over the perceived regional balance of the government’s economic agenda.
The public accusation from a prominent northern figure like Yakasai, who was once an aide to former Kano State Governor Ganduje, signals a growing discontent within the political landscape. The claims of favoritism and regional inequality pose a significant challenge to the administration’s narrative of inclusive governance and could become a major point of contention in the lead-up to the next general election.
