The African Democratic Congress (ADC) has again accused the president Bola Tinubu -led All Progressives Congress (APC) administration of manipulating official infrastructure data in a desperate attempt to deflect growing criticism over allegations of regional bias leveled against it.
In a statement issued on Tuesday, the party’s National Publicity Secretary, Mallam Bolaji Abdullahi, stated that the Tinubu government’s infrastructure report has reinforced existing suspicions about exclusionary governance.
It reads further: “The African Democratic Congress (ADC) has observed with keen interest the Federal Government’s recent flurry of media engagements, particularly the hurried release of infrastructure document tagged “Infrastructure Equity for Every Region. Progress for Every Nigerian. The Renewed Hope Agenda in Action.”
“Ordinarily, we would have commended such an effort at transparency. However, the context and content of the report suggest that this was less a gesture of accountability and more of a panicked propaganda attempt at damage control in the face of mounting criticism about the government’s nepotistic and exclusionary tendencies.
“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.
“For avoidance of doubt, the infrastructure progress report, rather than exonerate the government, actually showcases the cronyism, the sloppiness and the lack of equitable distribution of projects and spending.
“Under the section purportedly dedicated to North-Western 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, and 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.
“In this regard, the ADC demands that the Tinubu administration abandon the politics of propaganda.”