North, biggest beneficiary of my reforms — Tinubu, Arewa Forum, others disagree

President Bola Tinubu’s claim that Northern Nigeria is the biggest beneficiary of his administration’s economic reforms has triggered divergent reactions from major Northern groups.

While the Arewa Consultative Forum (ACF) and Middle Belt Forum (MBF) rejected the claim, describing it as unrealistic and politically motivated, the Northern Christian Association (NCA) said the region had benefited from several projects and policies under the Tinubu administration.

The disagreement came amid the renewed political debate over the removal of petrol subsidy and a proposal by former Vice President and African Democratic Congress (ADC) presidential candidate, Atiku Abubakar, to restore the subsidy if elected in 2027.

Tinubu and the All Progressives Congress (APC) have continued to defend the subsidy removal, arguing that the policy was difficult but necessary to redirect government resources towards infrastructure, education, healthcare, security and other productive sectors.

Tinubu: North will be biggest beneficiary

Tinubu’s position was presented by APC National Chairman, Prof. Nentawe Yilwatda, who represented the President at the second edition of the APC Professionals Forum’s Policy Roundtable, held under the theme, “Dissecting the Renewed Hope Deliverables and Achievements.”

According to the President, his administration inherited several economic challenges, including fuel subsidy distortions, multiple exchange-rate windows, weak revenue mobilisation, foreign exchange shortages, rising debt-service obligations and inadequate investment in critical infrastructure.

Tinubu said Nigeria’s gross external reserves had risen to about $52.7 billion by August 2026, while consolidated non-oil revenue increased from approximately ₦13.63 trillion in 2023 to ₦16.4 trillion in the first two quarters of 2026.

He also cited an improvement in the country’s merchandise trade position, with a surplus of about ₦7.54 trillion recorded in the first quarter of 2026, compared with roughly ₦44.8 billion for the whole of 2023.

The President further pointed to real GDP growth of 4.43 per cent in the second quarter of 2026 and an easing of inflation to about 15.4 per cent.

He said the reforms were part of efforts to build a $1 trillion economy by 2030, alongside major infrastructure projects and investments in transportation, energy, education and human capital.

Tinubu specifically argued that the North stood to gain significantly from improved trade links with neighbouring countries.

“The biggest beneficiaries of this economy will be the Northern part of Nigeria, because they will now be trading with countries, trading with Niger, trading with Chad, trading with Burkina Faso, trading with Southern Sudan, trading with Northern Cameroon, trading with Central African Republic,” he said.

“The North is the next business destination of Nigeria.”

He also cited projects and initiatives such as the Ajaokuta-Kaduna-Kano gas pipeline, NELFUND, technical and vocational training programmes and the CREDICORP credit initiative as part of efforts to translate economic growth into improved living standards.

Tinubu urged Nigerians to consider the choice between consolidating the reforms and reversing them in the 2027 elections.

Yuguda defends subsidy removal

Former Bauchi State governor and Chairman of the Board of Trustees of the APC Professionals Forum, Isa Yuguda, also defended the removal of petrol subsidy.

Yuguda, who chaired the Fuel Subsidy Task Force in 2009, said the committee had uncovered what he described as irregularities, fraudulent practices and financial leakages within the subsidy regime.

According to him, the system had consumed significant public resources that could otherwise have been invested in sectors such as education, agriculture, healthcare, security and infrastructure.

He described subsidy removal as a difficult but necessary reform and said the Tinubu administration demonstrated the political will to implement a policy that previous governments had struggled to execute.

Yuguda, however, acknowledged that insecurity remained a major challenge, particularly in border communities affected by instability and the movement of armed groups and criminal networks from neighbouring countries.

He called for stronger border security, intelligence gathering and regional cooperation.

On Atiku’s proposal to restore subsidy, Yuguda warned that the policy could recreate the problems associated with the former regime if the structural weaknesses were not addressed.

ADC insists on subsidy restoration

The ADC, however, maintained that restoring fuel subsidy would be central to its economic programme.

The party’s National Publicity Secretary, Bolaji Abdullahi, said subsidy restoration was a non-negotiable position of the ADC and could become one of the issues shaping the proposed opposition coalition ahead of the 2027 election.

He said the position could also create difficulties in efforts to bring opposition politicians together, particularly those who hold different views on fuel subsidy.

Abdullahi said the party’s economists were examining the figures supporting its position, while noting that other opposition figures had also expressed support for subsidy.

ACF rejects Tinubu’s claim

The ACF strongly disagreed with Tinubu’s assertion that the North was the biggest beneficiary of his reforms.

Its spokesman, Prof. Tukur Muhammad Baba, described the claim as “surreal,” “cynical” and “in sour taste.”

Baba said the President’s position was difficult to reconcile with the socio-economic realities confronting millions of people across Northern Nigeria.

He cited challenges in agriculture, insecurity, infrastructure and education, arguing that the region continued to experience significant economic hardship.

He also questioned the state of agricultural production in the North amid insecurity and criticised what he described as disparities in federal appointments and infrastructure development.

According to him, the region’s high poverty levels and the number of out-of-school children also contradicted the claim that the North was the biggest beneficiary of the reforms.

Baba suggested that the President should seek information from alternative sources if the claim was based on briefings from government officials.

MBF: All Nigerians affected

The Middle Belt Forum also rejected the President’s claim.

Its National President, Dr Bitrus Pogu, described the assertion as “funny”, arguing that policies such as petrol subsidy removal and the introduction of Compressed Natural Gas (CNG) affected Nigerians across the country.

He said it was inappropriate to portray such nationwide policies as benefiting a particular section of the country more than others.

“All parts of the country are equally affected by his policies,” Pogu said.

He also questioned whether the reforms had significantly improved the living conditions of ordinary Nigerians, particularly in relation to fuel prices and the cost of living.

Pogu further argued that Nigeria’s crude oil resources should provide the country with an advantage in managing domestic energy costs.

Northern Christians back Tinubu

The Northern Christian Association took a different position, saying the North had benefited from several projects under the Tinubu administration.

Its chairman, Rev. John Hayab, said it would be inaccurate for Northerners to claim that the region had not benefited from the government.

He cited major road projects, including the Akwanga-Maiduguri, Jos-Jalingo and Kaduna-Birnin Gwari-Mokwa-Lagos corridors.

Hayab also compared Tinubu’s performance with that of former President Muhammadu Buhari, arguing that the current administration had performed better in some areas.

“Buhari didn’t perform and they are doing better than his. So, why don’t you acknowledge it?” he asked.

He also pointed to the presence of Northerners in key government positions, including the APC national chairmanship and the ministries of information and defence.

For Southern Kaduna, Hayab cited the Federal University and Federal Medical Centre as examples of government projects benefiting the area.

He acknowledged that insecurity, hunger and poverty remained serious challenges but maintained that these problems should not prevent Northerners from recognising areas where the government had made progress.

“When he is bad, we will tell him. But in this case, I think he is right,” Hayab said, insisting that the North could not honestly claim it had received no benefits from the Tinubu administration.

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