FG Denies Favoritism In Project Allocation, Says All Regions Treated Fairly

The Federal Government has dismissed claims that President Bola Tinubu’s administration is favouring Lagos State in the distribution of federal projects and resources.

Reacting to a media report suggesting that Lagos had received projects worth ₦3.9 trillion at the expense of the North, the Minister of Information and National Orientation, Mohammed Idris, and Presidential spokesman, Sunday Dare, described the allegations as misleading and aimed at stirring division.

Idris, in a statement titled “Tinubu has been fair to all sections of Nigeria”, insisted that the government has been guided by fairness, justice, and equity in its allocation of resources. He said major infrastructure projects are ongoing across all six geopolitical zones, with no region sidelined.

He highlighted that while the Lagos–Calabar Coastal Highway cuts through southern states, the Badagry–Sokoto Highway currently under construction traverses northern states. According to him, the North has been the biggest beneficiary of project allocations so far, with ₦5.97 trillion—over 40 percent of approvals.

The minister also pointed to federal investments in light rail projects in Kano and Kaduna worth ₦250 billion, the rehabilitation of over 1,000 primary healthcare centres nationwide, and the revival of key energy projects including the 255MW Kaduna Power Plant and the AKK Gas Project.

On roads, Idris listed massive ongoing works in both northern and southern regions, such as the Abuja–Kaduna–Kano dual carriageway, Sokoto–Gusau–Funtua–Zaria Road, the 2nd Niger Bridge access roads, and the Bodo–Bonny Road in Rivers State. He stressed that, in total, the North accounts for 52 percent of ongoing federal road projects, while the South accounts for 48 percent.

Similarly, Dare, in his own statement titled “Why Lagos. Yes Lagos. (And Abuja too). The North Is Mobilized. Not Marginalised”, argued that focusing on isolated figures without context amounts to distortion. He noted that Lagos and Abuja, as mega-cities, naturally require more federal attention because of their size, population, and economic significance.

“Lagos is not just a state—it is Africa’s second-largest city economy, home to over 23 million people from all ethnic groups in Nigeria. Abuja, as the federal capital, is also one of Africa’s fastest-growing cities,” he said.

Dare compared the situation to global examples, pointing out that New York and Johannesburg receive significant federal support in their countries due to their scale. He argued that investing in Lagos and Abuja is a matter of strategic necessity, not favoritism.

He concluded that the Tinubu administration remains committed to balanced national development and that “no region is playing second fiddle or being ignored.”