By Abiola Olawale
The African Democratic Congress (ADC) has raised concerns, challenging the accuracy of the presidency’s report on infrastructure development in the country.
This is as the opposition party accused the presidency of engaging in lies, stressing that the report in question is littered with “errors and deliberate misinformation.”
In a statement released by ADC’s National Publicity Secretary, Bolaji Abdullahi, the party challenged the presidency’s claims about the progress and distribution of infrastructure projects across Nigeria.
Abdullahi stated that the Presidency’s infrastructure report was an alleged “cover-up” that misrepresents the true state of affairs.
The statement reads in part: “It should be noted that this is the first time that any government in Nigeria would be so hard pressed to prove that it has actually given all parts of the country a sense of belonging. But the reason is clear: this is the most divisive government we have ever had, where the principle of it is our turn, has become a mantra of marginalisation, and government business is run like an exclusive membership club.
“Unfortunately for the administration, in a desperate attempt to defend its records, it ended up convicting itself with obviously manipulated evidence.
“For avoidance of doubt, the so-called infrastructure progress report, rather than exonerate the government, actually showcases the cronyism, the sloppiness, and the lack of equitable distribution of projects and spending for which this APC government has become widely renowned.
“Under the section purportedly dedicated to Northwestern Nigeria, the government lists 12 projects, but upon closer scrutiny, at least four of those projects do not belong there.
“Let’s take the Damaturu–Maiduguri road, for instance. This was supposedly a 110km road that was listed under the North-West. Yet, Damaturu is the capital of Yobe State, Maiduguri is the capital of Borno State, and Borno State is in the North-East. Similarly, the Bama and Dikwa roads, also in Borno State, were mysteriously reclassified as North-Western projects.
“Then there is the Lokoja–Okene dualisation project. Lokoja is the capital of Kogi State, which, along with Okene, falls squarely within the North-Central zone. Yet, the government’s report would have us believe it is a North-Western initiative. The Benue–9th Mile road is another case in point. This was mislabeled under the North-West, despite Benue being in the North-Central.
“To make matters worse, some projects were listed twice, once under their actual regions and again under the North-West. We know that budgets have allegedly been padded by this administration, but this is the first time that we have seen infographics being padded with such brazen creativity.
“What is even more interesting is that several of the projects that the Tinubu government is celebrating were initiated under the Buhari administration, only to be repackaged and presented as fresh achievements of the Tinubu government.”
The New Diplomat reports that this comes after media reports emerged alleging that President Bola Ahmed Tinubu has exhibited manifesr favoritism toward Lagos State (Southwest) over the North and other regions, including South South abd South East, respectively.
In response, the Special Adviser to the President on Public Communications and Orientation, Sunday Dare, had on Sunday, argued that the broad distribution of infrastructure projects across the country proves Tinubu is governing with the interest of all Nigerians in mind, not just one region.
Dare had dismissed the report on question as sensational, insisting that figures presented without proper context cannot be considered factual.
The Presidency had consequently released a list of projects in a bid to explain that the North has not been left out in the scheme of things.
