Brazen lopsidedness of 2025 budget: A Deliberate Decimation of the North?

 “If Tinubu believes he can allocate N14 trillion to the South while leaving the North with nothing and still expect Northern votes in 2027, then he is either grossly misinformed or shockingly arrogant”.

The recently unveiled 2025 budget has confirmed the worst fears of millions of Nigerians—particularly Northerners—who have watched with growing dismay as the Tinubu administration continues its brazen marginalization of the region.

While the South is set to receive a staggering N14 trillion for capital projects, the North has been left with nothing but crumbs, further deepening the region’s suffering and exposing its people to worsening insecurity, poverty, and infrastructural decay.

This is not just negligence; it is a calculated move to weaken the North, punish its people, and render them powerless in the political equation of Nigeria.

The bitter taste of this injustice is made even more pungent by the recent visit of Seyi Tinubu to Kano, where he was met with hostility—a clear message from a people fed up with the administration’s disdain for their region.

But rather than address these grievances, the Tinubu government has responded with an even more audacious slap in the face: a budget that completely sidelines the North.

Remarkably,the numbers do not lie. While Lagos, Ogun, and other Southern states are allocated billions for roads, rail, and power projects, Northern states are left scrambling for scraps.

Where is the funding for the revitalization of the Kaduna-Kano rail line?

Where are the allocations for irrigation projects in the drought-stricken farmlands of Sokoto and Katsina?

Where is the budgetary provision for addressing the deadly banditry and kidnapping epidemics in Zamfara, Niger, and Kebbi?

Instead, what we see is a deliberate starvation of the North. A region that has contributed immensely to Nigeria’s unity and economic sustenance is now being systematically crippled.

The message is clear: Tinubu’s Nigeria has no place for the North

The consequences of this neglect are already dire. With no meaningful federal investment in job creation, education, or security, the North has become a breeding ground for crime and extremism.

Thousands of young men, abandoned by the government, are being lured into banditry and terrorism. Farmers can no longer till their lands, traders cannot move freely, and families live in perpetual fear.

Yet, instead of deploying resources to tackle these challenges, the Tinubu administration has chosen to further impoverish the region.

How does a government expect to win the war against insecurity when it refuses to invest in the very communities being terrorized?

President Tinubu may think he can ignore the North today and still cajole its votes in 2027, but he is sorely mistaken. The anger on the streets of Kano, Kaduna, and Sokoto is palpable. The people are watching, and they will not forget this betrayal.

The North has always been a kingmaker in Nigerian politics, and any leader who takes its support for granted does so at his own peril.

If Tinubu believes he can allocate N14 trillion to the South while leaving the North with nothing and still expect Northern votes in 2027, then he is either grossly misinformed or shockingly arrogant.

This budget is not just an economic document; it is a statement of intent. And the intent is clear: The North does not matter to this administration.

But let this serve as a warning—the North will not accept this humiliation quietly. The time for accountability is coming, and when 2027 arrives, Tinubu and his enablers will realize that the North cannot be taken for granted.

The message is simple: Reverse this injustice, or face the consequences._

_Hon Jamil Shuaib Jetta_

Aspirant for the Kaduna State House of Assembly 2022/2023

jamilshuaib57@gmail.com