The Chairman of the Northern Christian Association (NCA), Rev. John Hayab, has said President Bola Ahmed Tinubu is doing better than former President Muhammadu Buhari in terms of infrastructure development in the North, insisting that the region cannot honestly claim it has not benefited from the present administration.
Hayab, however, said the Federal Government still needed to do more to tackle some of the North’s most pressing challenges, particularly insecurity, hunger and poverty.
The NCA chairman said acknowledging the achievements of the Tinubu administration should not stop northerners from demanding more from the government.
He cited major road projects across the region, including the Akwanga-Maiduguri, Jos-Jalingo, Kaduna-Birnin Gwari-Mokwa-Lagos and Sokoto-Lagos corridors, as evidence of the administration’s investment in the North.
“Look at the roads from Akwanga that will go as far as Maiduguri. Look at the roads from Jos that will go to Jalingo. These are very serious roads,” Hayab said.
He compared the projects with the performance of the immediate past administration of former President Muhammadu Buhari, particularly the Kaduna-Abuja road, which he said remained unfinished despite years of promises.
“Buhari didn’t perform and they are doing better than his. So, why don’t you acknowledge it? Because it’s not for free. Huge money has been invested in those projects.
“Honestly speaking, all the years Buhari was in power, that Kaduna road was supposed to have been finished, but they were playing games around all that. People were losing their lives; they didn’t care. At least these ones are trying,” he said.
Hayab said the improvement was also noticeable on the Abuja-Makurdi route, where improved road conditions had reduced travel time, adding that the completion of the Mararaba flyover was expected to provide further relief to commuters.
Beyond infrastructure, he said the North had also secured significant representation in the Tinubu administration, citing the national chairmanship of the ruling party and key ministerial positions.
“The North is there. The North is the party chairman of his party. The North is the Minister of Information. The North is the Defence Minister. The two Defence Ministers are all from the North,” Hayab said.
He said the same argument applied to Southern Kaduna, where he cited the establishment of a Federal University and a Federal Medical Centre as examples of long-standing demands being addressed under the Tinubu administration.
“For us in Southern Kaduna, we cannot lie that things have not improved,” he said.
Hayab described the Federal Medical Centre as particularly significant, noting that residents had demanded such a facility since the administration of former President Olusegun Obasanjo, but successive governments had failed to deliver it.
“And today, we have it on a platter of gold. And so, we should be able to acknowledge that, at least, things have improved,” he said.
However, Hayab stressed that recognition of Federal Government interventions should not absolve northern leaders of their responsibilities.
He urged northerners to scrutinise how resources accruing to their states under the new revenue allocation formula were being utilised, stressing that state governments also had a responsibility to improve the living conditions of their people.
The NCA chairman further clarified that his acknowledgement of the Tinubu administration’s achievements did not amount to an endorsement of all its policies and actions.
“They want to blame the man in Abuja. When he is bad, we will tell him. But in this case, I think he is right,” Hayab said.
“If I do not praise them just because I don’t like them, then I’m not a good Christian. I don’t believe in that.
“But the North cannot pretend to say that it has not benefited from this government.”
