Over 50% of Nigeria’s Capital Budget for 2024–2025 Allocated to Northern Projects, Says Budget Office

Amid mounting criticism from key northern political figures, the Director-General of Nigeria’s Budget Office, Tanimu Yakubu, has disclosed that more than half of the federal capital budget for 2024 and 2025 is directed toward projects in northern Nigeria.

Yakubu's statement comes in response to claims by Rabiu Musa Kwankwaso, former Kano State Governor; Babachir Lawal, former Secretary to the Government of the Federation; and Bashir Dalhatu, Chairman of the Arewa Consultative Forum (ACF) Board of Trustees. The trio had accused the Tinubu administration of side-lining the North in its infrastructure and investment priorities.

But Yakubu pushed back on what he called “politically motivated narratives.”

“Northern Nigeria is not on the margins. It is at the heart of federal investment priorities,” he said, adding that the region benefits from over 50% of total capital expenditure, when accounting for trunk infrastructure and river basin projects.

To back up his claim, Yakubu pointed to several flagship infrastructure projects either ongoing or planned in the region, including:

• Abuja–Kano expressway dualization

• ₦12.1 trillion Sokoto–Badagry Superhighway, with ₦3.63 trillion already committed for early phases in Sokoto and Kebbi

• Zungeru–Kano power transmission line

• Kano–Maradi standard gauge railway

• Runway upgrades at Kaduna, Maiduguri, and Katsina airports

• Inland dry ports in Funtua and Bauchi

In the area of water resources, Yakubu highlighted investments in the Sokoto-Rima and Upper Benue River Basins for flood control, irrigation, and rural development.

Yakubu also noted an uptick in security-related spending, particularly in conflict-prone regions of the North, as part of a broader push to stabilize and open up rural economies.

“These figures prove that this administration is not only committed to unity and equity but also to practical investment in underdeveloped regions,” Yakubu asserted.