Northeast National Assembly Caucus Raise Allegation Against President Tinubu Hours After Ndume’s Cry Out

The Northeast caucus of the National Assembly has accused President Bola Tinubu of shortchanging the region in the execution of major projects, political appointments and other decisions by his government.

The allegation was made on Thursday by the caucus, which is the umbrella body for Senators and members of the House of Representatives from the North-East geopolitical zone.

The caucus appealed to the President to review some of the actions of his administration by giving fair representation to the North-East, which comprises of Adamawa, Bauchi, Borno, Gombe, Taraba, and Yobe states.

They made their position known at a press conference they addressed at the National Assembly in Abuja while demanding fairness and equity.

Naija News reports the position of the lawmakers was made public days after Borno South Senator, Ali Ndume, accused President Tinubu of making lopsided appointments, an allegation already debunked by the presidency.

The caucus on Thursday, specifically alleged exclusion by the government from the Special Agro-Industrial Processing Zones (SAPZ), a $530million agriculture development programme jointly funded by the Federal Government, the African Development Bank (AfDB), the Islamic Development Bank (IsDB), and the International Fund for Agricultural Development (IFAD).

Seven states, including Kaduna, Kano, Ogun, Oyo and the Federal Capital Territory (FCT) were picked for the programme. The South-South, South-East and North-Central have one processing zone each, but the Northeast was not represented.

Speaking on the development, the leader of the caucus, Senator Danjuma Goje, expressed the displeasure of the group on the exclusion of the Northeast from the SAPZ programme in spite of the region accounting for one-third of Nigeria’s total land mass and being the largest producer of livestock and other food products.

The caucus stated, “SAPZs aim to transform Nigeria’s agriculture landscape through innovation, private-sector investments, and strategic public partnerships.

“The zones are designed to create agro-industrial hubs that integrate farmers with processors, reduce post-harvest losses and expand rural economic opportunities.

“Geographically, the North-East is the largest geopolitical zone in the nation, covering nearly one-third of Nigeria’s total area of 272,451 km2 (105,194sq mi). Our potential in all aspects of the agricultural sector cannot be overemphasised.

“Our region, the North-East, is known for its enormous livestock and crop growth, contributing significantly to our country’s economic well-being and Gross Domestic Product (GDP).

“It is against this backdrop that we are extremely worried that our zone is excluded from the SAPZ programme, regarded as a ‘presidential priority project’ and a direct response to the longstanding challenges facing Nigeria’s agricultural value chain, including poor infrastructure, limited access to markets, and low-value addition.”

An Appeal, Not A Confrontation

Goje added that the caucus is not in contention with President Tinubu, but is only appealing for a fair inclusion of the region in such fundamental projects and other projects by the current administration.

“This is not only for fairness and inclusivity but for the actualisation of the lofty ideals of the present administration to industrialise Nigeria’s agricultural sector and create sustainable jobs in the country.

“We are appealing to Mr President. In my last presentation, on the issue of the roads, I also appealed to Mr President. We are not confrontational. We are only saying what we believe is true to us,” he added.

Why Northeast Needs Attention

Also speaking, the member representing Chibok, Damboa/Goza Federal Constituency of Borno State, Ahmed Jaha, said the North-East is the poorest in the country and should ordinarily benefit from major government programmes and projects.

He said, “So, if there is a single zone, as far as this country is concerned, that should be given the attention, the required attention, particularly with regards to the issue of development, and so on and so forth, it’s our zone.

“In other words, the stability of the North-east sub-region is very, very critical and important to the stability of the remaining five geopolitical zones in the country.

“So, this is why whenever we see where we are being shortchanged, there is a need for us to draw the attention of the policy makers that we still exist as human beings and we deserve to be treated as such.”