President Bola Tinubu has said Northern Nigeria will be the biggest beneficiary of his administration’s economic reforms, arguing that the removal of fuel subsidies saved the country from deeper fiscal challenges and allowed more public funds to be directed towards infrastructure and productive sectors.
Tinubu’s position was presented by the National Chairman of the All Progressives Congress (APC), Nentawe Yilwatda, who represented the President at the second edition of the Policy Roundtable organised by the APC Professionals Forum in Abuja.
The event, titled “The Asiwaju Scorecard Series,” focused on the administration’s economic policies and achievements.
Tinubu highlighted several economic indicators, saying Nigeria’s gross external reserves had risen to about $52.7 billion by August 2026.
He also said the country’s real Gross Domestic Product grew by 4.43 per cent in the second quarter of 2026, while inflation moderated to about 15.4 per cent.
The President linked the economic reforms to his administration’s ambition of building a $1 trillion economy by 2030.
He also pointed to major infrastructure projects, including the Sokoto-Badagry Super Highway, the Lagos-Kano rail corridor and the Ajaokuta-Kaduna-Kano gas pipeline, as projects capable of transforming economic activity in Northern Nigeria.
“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,” Tinubu said.
“The North is the next business destination of Nigeria.”
However, the President’s claim has attracted mixed reactions from regional groups.
The Arewa Consultative Forum and the Middle Belt Forum rejected the assessment, arguing that the administration’s economic policies had increased poverty, inflation and the cost of living in many Northern communities.
The Northern Christian Association of Nigeria, however, backed the administration, saying Tinubu’s structural reforms and distribution of infrastructure represented an improvement compared with previous governments.
The APC leadership also criticised opposition proposals ahead of the 2027 general elections, particularly calls to restore fuel subsidies.
Dr Isa Yuguda, Chairman of the Board of Trustees of the APC Professionals Forum, warned that returning to the former subsidy system could reopen avenues for financial leakages and weaken the government’s ability to fund programmes such as student loans, border security and regional transport infrastructure.
