News
FG insists no region marginalised under Tinubu
In response to circulating rumors, misinformation, and partial truths, the Minister of Information and National Orientation, Hon. Mohammed Idris, clarified on Sunday that President Bola Ahmed Tinubu’s administration has consistently upheld fairness, justice, and equity in allocating federal projects, appointments, and opportunities across Nigeria’s six geopolitical zones.
He emphasized, “Contrary to the perception being pushed in some quarters, this administration has demonstrated uncommon commitment to balanced development and inclusivity since assuming office.
The distribution of capital projects under President Bola Ahmed Tinubu is equitable.
“No region is playing a second fiddle or ignored. In addition to projects by various Ministries, Departments and Agencies, all six regions now have Regional Development Commissions to re-kickstart development efforts. While the Coastal Highway courses through the South, the Badagry–Sokoto Highway, under construction, traverses majorly the North. This sense of balance runs through all the major infrastructure projects being implemented today.
READ ALSO: FG’s ₦142 billion bus stop budget, evidence of Tinubu’s cluelessness – Obi
“Major infrastructural interventions are simultaneously ongoing across the federation—from highways and bridges to rail and power projects. The administration has secured funding for light rail projects in Kano and Kaduna states to the tune of ₦150 billion and ₦100 billion, respectively. The metroline projects in Lagos and Ogun States form part of the government’s effort to develop Nigeria’s light rail infrastructure. Collectively, these projects are expected to create over 250,000 jobs nationwide.
“There is also a renewed push for the rehabilitation of the Eastern Corridor of the rail line from Port Harcourt to Maiduguri. In addition, over 1,000 primary health care centres have been rehabilitated across the country, underscoring the administration’s commitment to human capital and social infrastructure.
“From verifiable data, the actual distribution of projects shows the Northwest as the biggest beneficiary Northwest: ₦5.97 trillion (over 40% of approvals)
South South: ₦2.41 trillion, North Central: ₦1.13 trillion ,South East: ₦407 billion, North East: ₦400 billion, South West (excluding Lagos): ₦604 billion
Legacy Road Projects under President Tinubu:Lagos–Calabar Coastal Highway (750 km): 175 km ongoing in Lagos, Cross River, and Akwa Ibom States .Sokoto–Badagry Superhighway (1,068 km): 378 km ongoing in Kebbi and Sokoto sections. Trans-Sahara Highway (465 km): 118 km ongoing in Ebonyi State. Akwanga–Jos–Bauchi–Gombe Road (439 km): Being redesigned from flexible to rigid pavement for durability.
Out of the total length of these projects, the North accounts for 52% and the South for 48%.
“Other Major Projects in the North Sokoto–Gusau–Funtua–Zaria Road (275 km dualised, ₦824bn). Abuja–Kaduna–Kano Road (350 km dualised, ₦764bn). BUA Tax Credit Road in Jigawa, Katsina, Kano (256 km dualised). Zaria–Hunkuyi Road (156 km). Kano Northern Bypass (49 km). Kano–Maiduguri Road (100.9 km). Bama and Dikwa Roads in Borno (100 km). Damaturu–Maiduguri Road (110 km). Malando Road in Kebbi (76 km). Benue–9th Mile Road (250 km dualised, $958m). Lokoja–Okene Dualisation (86 km). Kaduna–Katsina Roads (Sections 1 and 2, ₦150bn).
“Major Projects in the South: Lagos–Ibadan (8.5 km, ₦33bn). Lagos–Sagamu (12 km dualised). Oyo–Ogbomoso–Ilorin (₦146bn). Rehabilitation of Carter, Third Mainland, and Eko Bridges (₦120bn).
“South East Enugu–Onitsha Road (107 km, ₦202bn via MTN Tax Credit). Enugu–Onitsha Road (72 km, ₦150bn via CBC). Enugu–Abakaliki Road (36 km). 2nd Niger Bridge Access Road (17.5 km dualised, ₦175bn). Lokpanta–Enugu Road (61 km dualised, ₦100bn).
“South South: Eleme–Onne Road (30 km, ₦156bn).Eket Bypass (9.7 km dualised, ₦76bn). East–West Road Section 2 (₦186bn). Nembe–Brass Road (₦150bn )Lokoja–Benin Dualisation (₦167bn).2nd Niger Bridge Access Road in Delta (17 km dualised, ₦146bn). Bodo–Bonny Road in Rivers (35 km with 12 bridges, ₦200bn).
“Beyond roads and rail, this administration has also revived the 255MW Kaduna Power Plant, advanced the AKK Gas Project, and expanded oil and gas exploration in the North with the drilling of three oil wells in the Kolmani region of Bauchi and Gombe States. Kano-Maradi rail line, inherited at 5% has received huge funding support from the government making it attain 67% within a short time.
“President Tinubu is building national infrastructure, not local trophies. Lagos is rightly upgraded as Nigeria’s commercial hub, but the Northwest holds the lion’s share of approvals. This proves that all regions are receiving fair consideration.
“Equity is also evident in federal appointments. President Tinubu has consistently appointed capable Nigerians from every part of the country, guided by competence and inclusivity rather than sectional considerations.
“Inclusivity lies at the heart of the Renewed Hope Agenda. The establishment of five new Regional Development Commissions and the creation of the Federal Ministry of Livestock Development further illustrate the President’s determination to address Nigeria’s unique developmental needs in a manner that benefits all sections of the country.
“On the whole, President Bola Ahmed Tinubu has not only kept faith with Nigerians but has proven himself to be a fair, pragmatic, and consequential reformer. His leadership is inclusive, his vision is unifying, and his commitment to equity and justice is unwavering. Nigerians can rest assured that under his watch, no part of this country will be left behind”.
Seyi Makinde of Oyo State, Governor of Oyo State, on Thursday, finally threw his hats into the ring by declaring his intention to run for president in 2027, with a message – history beckons.
The governor, whose ambition has been a matter of speculations for months now and who had teamed up with forces angling to force President Bola Tinubu, out of power, told a teeming crowd in Ibadan on Thursday that time had come to reset Nigeria.
At a mega-rally to announce the alliance between the People’s Democratic Party (PDP), and the Allied Peoples’ Movement, (APM), Makinde, expressed worry over the dwindling fortunes of Nigerians, vowing to engage Nigerians to end the drift.
Hear him: “Without a multi-party system, there is no democracy. Where is our multi-party? Where do we go from here? We have been pushed to the wall.
“They calculated and self-opposition cannot unite but I am here to say that the opposition is the everyday Nigerian. This is the time for all us to ensure Nigeria works for us. This is the time to confront it fears. It is time to engage as citizens and not spectators.
“For the opposition political parties, this is the time to unite and work in unity and give our nation the much reset it needs. The time to reset Nigeria is now. Ibadan is the city of warriors. The first grand alliance is formed. The PDP and APM is formed. This handshake will allow us to field candidates from presidency to state Assembly. And so, I declare my candidacy for office of the president of Nigeria.”
Eyo Ekpe, a professor of cardiothoracic surgery at the University of Uyo Teaching Hospital (UUTH), on Wednesday, gave a detailed account on how operatives of the Economic and Financial Crimes Commission (EFCC) manhandled him on Monday.
He told reporters that he was at sea on why he should fall victim to the assault against his person and eventually arrested given that was not right person directly involved in the information the agency sought.
Some operatives of the EFCC who invaded the hospital, had whisked Ekpe away after firing teargas to scare away the workers, patients and visitors to the hospital, following what appeared like a fracas the ensued over what it claimed was a routine duty in the facility.
Ekpe, Deputy Chairman of the hospital’s Medical Advisory Committee (MAC), described how an operative had first entered his office to make inquiries on why the hospital was yet to give a response to an EFCC inquiry over a medical report linked to a suspect facing trial.
He detailed how he briefed the operative that the said response was being prepared and even went ahead to show him the draft of a letter in that regard, which needed to go through the gamut of official endorsement before being released.
Hear him: “The head of that internal medicine department looked at the report and also discovered that the name of the doctor that signed the report is not a member of staff of that department.
“I had prepared prepared a response to the EFCC on Monday, May 11, 2026, based on the findings. When the EFCC operative visited my office the next morning to collect the document, I told him that the response was ready in draft. I even showed him the draft, but told him that the document still needed approval from the Chief Medical Director (CMD) of the hospital before it could be officially signed and released.
“He pretended to have accepted that. He left, but later later returned with another armed operative and informed me that I was under arrest. I asked him why. I was not the one that issued the medical report. My name is not on the medical report. The report was not issued from my unit.
“But he said I would get the answer when I get to their office. I then asked him to at least wait for my staff member who I sent on an errand before joining them. But they refused.
“They started pushing me. They dragged me out of the office. Then I began to cry while they were dragging me. They had warned me not to speak. They had taken my phone. My cry as they were dragging me, attracted the workers to the scene, who enquired what was going on, but because they ordered me not to speak, I couldn’t say anything. They had their guns.
The members of staff of the hospital initially blocked them from taking me away. They then made a call. After that I saw many masked and armed men came violently, broke the protector, threatening the people that were around and people ran away.
“They picked some staff that were still by me. they dragged me and other staff, five of us into their van downstairs. By that time they discovered that the gate of the hospital were locked. So, they drove towards the gate and packed and the commotion continued. We were inside the van.
“I was so emotionally and psychologically traumatised that I couldn’t even look out of the vehicle to see what was happening outside. But I know that teargas and live bullets were shot. That’s all I can say for now.”
Joyce Abdulmalik, of the Federal High Court, Abuja, heard on Wednesday, how Zenith Bank raised alarm over the huge transaction in one of its branches by Abubakar Malami, former Attorney General of the Federation and Minister of Justice (AGF-MoJ).
The bank said it immediately filed a Suspicious Transaction Report (STR) in respect to the transactions, during its appearance in the ongoing trial of Malami, his wife, and son over allegation of massive looting of funds belonging to the Federal Government during his tenure.
Mashelia Bata, a compliance officer with the bank, who appeared as witness in the case, where Malami, et al, are facing a 16-count charge bordering on alleged money laundering to the tune of N8.7 billion, to which they pleaded not guilty, gave the testimony while being questioned on the bank’s roles in the matter.
Details of the testimony conveyed by the Economic and Financial Crimes Commission (EFCC), stated how the compliance officer who was cross-examined by Adebayo Adedeji, lawyer to the defendants admitted that the deposits in the account statements complied with the guidelines of the Central Bank of Nigeria (CBN).
Arguments had stretched when Adedeji, opposed Jibrin Okutepa (SAN), lawyer to the EFCC, who had asked the witness to explain the meaning of a suspicious transaction report, stressing that there was no ambiguity in the term.
However, Okutepa, in response, maintained that section 215(3) of the Evidence Act did not preclude him from re-examining the witness while urging the court to allow the question for proper explanation.
After Abdulmalik, agreed and overruled Adedeji, the witness told the court that banks were required to alert the Nigerian Financial Intelligence Unit (NFIU) about fund deposits coming in a repetitive pattern, adding: “Any deposition of funds seen in a pattern or repetitive, you must escalate it to the NFIU.”
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