The Coalition of Northern Groups (CNG) has condemned the Federal Government over the alleged exclusion of the North-West geopolitical zone from the recently approved federal road projects valued at over ₦3.9 trillion.

The coalition described the development as a betrayal of the region’s political support for President Bola Ahmed Tinubu in the 2023 general election.

In a statement signed by its National Coordinator, Comrade Jamilu Aliyu Charanchi, the CNG said the omission could not be dismissed as an administrative oversight but reflected what it described as a growing pattern of neglect against the region.

Charanchi said: “The Coalition of Northern Groups (CNG) expresses profound disappointment and outrage over the approval by the Federal Executive Council of 27 federal road projects worth over ₦3.9 trillion across 15 states while deliberately excluding all seven states of the North-West—Kaduna, Kano, Katsina, Jigawa, Kebbi, Sokoto and Zamfara.

“This unprecedented omission cannot be dismissed as an administrative oversight. It represents a disturbing pattern of neglect against a region that made perhaps the greatest political investment in the emergence of President Bola Ahmed Tinubu in the 2023 presidential election.

“The North-West stood firmly behind President Tinubu when it mattered most when it delivered millions of votes, mobilised its political structures, and defended the APC across difficult political terrain.

“It therefore comes as a rude shock that the same region has now been completely ignored in one of the largest federal road infrastructure approvals since this administration assumed office.

“Even more painful is the fact that the North-West is home to some of the country’s busiest and most economically strategic federal highways. From the Kano-Katsina-Maradi corridor to the Sokoto-Gusau-Funtua axis, from the Kaduna-Birnin Gwari corridor to numerous roads linking many towns and cities, these routes serve agriculture, trade, industry and national security. Yet none received attention under the latest approvals.

“The exclusion becomes even more indefensible considering that the Kano–Kaduna–Abuja Expressway, inherited by the present administration as one of the critical federal road projects.”

He argued that despite repeated assurances by the Federal Government, commuters continue to face security challenges, accidents, traffic delays and economic losses on the road while new multi-billion-naira projects are being approved elsewhere.

The CNG said the development appeared inconsistent with the Federal Government’s commitment to equity, inclusion and balanced national development.

The coalition held President Tinubu responsible for what it described as a glaring imbalance, arguing that leadership should reflect fairness in the distribution of national infrastructure projects.

Charanchi added, “No responsible government should preside over the complete exclusion of an entire geopolitical zone comprising seven states and tens of millions of Nigerians from a strategic national infrastructure intervention of this magnitude.

“We are equally disappointed in the silence of prominent political office holders from the North-West. The Speaker of the House of Representatives, Rt. Hon. Abbas Tajudeen; the Deputy President of the Senate, Senator Barau Jibrin; ministers, presidential advisers, heads of federal agencies and other senior political appointees from the region owe the people an explanation.

“Their continued silence in the face of this obvious injustice raises serious questions about whose interests they truly represent. Political offices were not entrusted to them merely to occupy prestigious positions in Abuja; they were elected and appointed to protect and advance the interests of the people who entrusted them with leadership.

“History will judge harshly those who remain silent while their region suffers systematic neglect. The CNG wishes to remind the Government that the North-West remains the largest voting bloc, largest agricultural hub and one of the country’s most important commercial regions.

“The region contributes to the economy significantly on agricultural produce, livestock, manufactured goods and cross-border trade. Neglecting its road infrastructure is not merely an injustice to the North-West—it is an economic disservice to Nigeria.

“We therefore demand the immediate review of the approved road projects to accommodate critical federal highways across the seven North-West states. At the very minimum, the Federal Government must urgently accelerate the completion of the Abuja–Kaduna–Kano Expressway and announce new interventions covering other neglected strategic roads across the region.

“The CNG will continue to resist every manifestation of regional marginalisation as our position has always been guided by justice, fairness and equal treatment of all sections of Nigeria.

“The people of the North-West deserve infrastructure commensurate with their enormous contributions to the Nigerian economy and democracy, not abandonment after the ballots have been counted.” (THISDAY)

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