THE Budget Office of the Federation has announced that the North-West geopolitical zone has emerged as the biggest beneficiary of federal projects approved by the Federal Executive Council (FEC) under President Bola Tinubu’s administration.
According to the agency, the region has secured N5.97 trillion, representing more than 40 percent of the N10.92 trillion allocated nationwide so far.
The Director-General of the Budget Office, Tanimu Yakubu, made this clarification in a statement yesterday, addressing public concerns following the circulation of a viral chart that suggested Lagos State received the bulk of federal projects.
Yakubu dismissed the claims as “misleading,” explaining that several national highways and transport corridors cutting across Lagos had been incorrectly classified as Lagos-only projects.
He noted that projects exclusive to Lagos—such as airport fencing, Carter Bridge rehabilitation, and other local initiatives—amounted to N1.2 trillion, while an additional N2.7 trillion attributed to the state covered national projects with benefits extending beyond Lagos.
“The viral chart bundles together national infrastructure, federal highways, and legacy roads, labeling them as ‘Lagos-only projects.’ By that logic, the Kano–Maiduguri expressway could be called a ‘Maiduguri-only project,’” Yakubu remarked. “These are national arteries, not local trophies.”
A regional breakdown of FEC approvals showed the South-South with N2.41 trillion, North-Central with N1.13 trillion, South-West (excluding Lagos) with N604 billion, South-East with N407 billion, and North-East with N400 billion.
Yakubu highlighted that the North-West’s allocation covers strategic initiatives such as the revival of the long-abandoned 255-megawatt Kaduna Power Plant, rehabilitation of the Kaduna–Kano expressway, and upgrades along the Kano–Maiduguri highway and Sokoto–Illela corridor, in addition to investments in education and security.
Meanwhile, the Minister of Information and National Orientation, Mohammed Idris, emphasized the government’s commitment to fairness and inclusivity in project distribution.
He pointed to large-scale infrastructure efforts like the Lagos–Calabar Coastal Highway, the Badagry–Sokoto Highway, and the Trans-Saharan Highway, projecting that these projects will generate over 250,000 jobs nationwide and serve as key drivers of economic growth.