Former media aide to ex-Kano governor Abdullahi Umar Ganduje, Salihu Tanko Yakasai, has accused President Bola Ahmed Tinubu’s administration of spreading “false claims” about federal projects in the North-West region.
Hikaya Newspaper reports that Yakasai made the remarks in a lengthy Facebook post on Tuesday, September 2, 2025, where he criticized what he described as a deliberate attempt by the government to mislead Nigerians.
According to him, the Presidency recently claimed that the North-West was the highest beneficiary of federal projects, worth over ₦6 trillion. However, he alleged that most of the listed projects were either initiated by former President Muhammadu Buhari’s administration or had remained stagnant with little or no progress recorded under the current government.
He cited the Abuja–Kaduna–Kano expressway as a prime example, noting that the project had been moving at a snail’s pace. “For over seven months since it started, the work has barely gone beyond Zuba to Kwanar Dukku, and it was only recently that contractors began laying asphalt in Makarfi,” Yakasai wrote. He questioned the government’s claim of completing 350 kilometers, insisting the entire Abuja–Kano stretch is 440 kilometers, with much of the section still incomplete.
Yakasai further argued that other projects listed by the Tinubu government, such as the Daura road, Zaria–Hunkuyi road, Kano Northern bypass, and Sokoto–Gusau road, either had no contractors on site or had not even commenced. He claimed a similar situation applied in other regions like the North-East, where major works remained abandoned despite being highlighted in official publications.
Expressing frustration, Yakasai described the Tinubu administration as “the most deceitful government” he had ever witnessed. “Since I grew up, I have never seen a government so shamelessly deceptive. If we are being deceived like this in 2025, what will happen if they return after 2027?” he asked, adding that the government had allegedly prioritized Lagos over the remaining 35 states of the federation.