When the Federal Government released a glossy report in August titled “Infrastructure Equity for Every Region. Progress for Every Nigerian,” the intention was clear: to showcase President Bola Ahmed Tinubu as a fair leader who is spreading development evenly across the country.
But for many Nigerians, the reality feels different. The figures in the report revealed striking disparities.
The North-West was allocated ₦5.97 trillion and the South-South ₦2.41 trillion, while the South-East and North-East received just ₦407 billion and ₦400 billion respectively
Civil society leader Comrade Auwal Musa Rafsanjani, interviewed by Pulse Nigeria, captured the growing frustration.
“It’s normal for government appointees to promote their principals, but many times what they say is entirely different from what Nigerians are experiencing.
“Yes, every state got a minister as the constitution requires, but how do you explain a situation where one state has about four ministers while others struggle with just one? Many Nigerians believe one section has completely dominated political and judicial appointments,” Rafsanjani explained.
His comments echo the disillusionment of ordinary Nigerians who feel left out despite government assurances.
Security analyst Dr. Mohammed Sani was even more blunt when asked by Pulse Nigeria's Abuja correspondent, Segun Adeyemi, if President Bola Tinubu has been fair to all sections of Nigeria.
“My answer is a capital ‘No.’ President Tinubu has not been fair to all sections of Nigeria. His mission since taking office has been to empower his cronies from Lagos and Ogun—not even the entire South-West,” Sani told Pulse Nigeria.
“How do you justify the South-East having only five ministers while Ogun State alone has five or six, heading super ministries like Finance? His budgetary allocation also speaks volumes. The South-East and North-East are excluded from the system.”
Sani contrasted Tinubu with his predecessor, the late Muhammadu Buhari, who he argued spread appointments more widely across ethnic and regional lines.
Northern Groups Cry Foul
It is not just the South-East that feels shortchanged. The Arewa Consultative Forum (ACF) and Northern Elders Forum (NEF) have repeatedly accused Tinubu’s government of sidelining the North.
The ACF noted that out of ₦1.013 trillion earmarked for roads in 2024, less than ₦24 billion, barely one percent, went to the North-East.
In a recent report by Daily Trust, ACF leader, Alhaji Bashir Dalhatu, noted that the North, which delivered over 64% of President Tinubu’s total votes, has been “largely excluded” from key governance processes.
“Two years into President Tinubu’s four-year tenure, the feeling among the people of the North is, to put it mildly, completely mixed.
“To our surprise, those who did not support him, did not vote for him, and hardly wished him well have emerged from nowhere and are now attempting to drive a wedge between him and the North,” Dalhatu said.
Referencing a May 2025 press release from the Federal Ministry of Works, he added: “The regional breakdown is telling — South West received ₦1.394 trillion, South East, ₦205 billion, North West, ₦105 billion, and North East, just ₦30 billion. Sadly, this discriminatory practice is not hidden — it is now done openly, without apology.”
Government Pushback
The Tinubu administration has dismissed these criticisms as unfair. Minister of Information Mohammed Idris said the President is committed to fairness, justice, and equity in governance. He said,
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,
Similarly, Works Minister Dave Umahi highlighted ongoing ₦445.8 billion investments in South-East roads as proof that the region is not neglected.
“President Tinubu Treating the South East Region with Fairness and Equity in Road and Bridge Infrastructure Development. Publication of One Linus Anagboso (D-Big Pen) Mischievous and Deceptive and He Must Retract It”, the minister said, “My attention as the Honourable Minister of Works has been drawn to a wrong and misleading statement on social media published by one Mr. Linus Anagboso (D-Big Pen) captioned: ‘The Politics of Asphalt: Why is the South East Missing from the Map?’”
Old Grievances, New Realities
For the South-East, complaints of marginalisation are not new. In 2023, the region received only five ministerial slots, the least of any zone.
The apex Igbo body, Ohanaeze Ndigbo, described the imbalance as “unfair and unjust”
“Our political power has been reduced as we have a few senators and also in the house of representatives; governors, house of assembly and local governments.
“We wish to observe that the current administration did not cause this situation, but we, however, appeal to his excellency, Mr Bola Ahmed Tinubu, GCFR, to help us remedy the situation and restore justice, equity, and fairness in Nigeria," the group appealed in a statement.
For many citizens, the debate is less about numbers and more about lived experience.
A trader in Onitsha cares little about whether the South-East received ₦407 billion or ₦4 trillion; what matters is whether the bad roads are fixed, whether jobs are created, and whether her children have the same opportunities as those in Lagos or Abuja.
As Rafsanjani put it, “Many Nigerians are having different opinions about what fairness means, based on what they see on the ground.”
With regional bodies, analysts, and citizens voicing discontent, the fairness question may haunt Tinubu’s presidency until allocations translate into tangible improvements in daily life across all corners of the country.
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