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•Outraged over exclusion from Agro-Industrial Processing programme
From Adesuwa Tsan, Abuja
Lawmakers from the North East geopolitical zone have expressed dissatisfaction over the region’s exclusion from the Federal Government’s Special Agro-Industrial Processing Zones (SAPZ) programme.
At a press briefing following an emergency meeting held at the National Assembly Complex in Abuja, yesterday, the North East Caucus of the National Assembly comprising senators and members of the House of Representatives from Adamawa, Bauchi, Borno, Gombe, Taraba and Yobe states also supported comments made by Senator Ali Ndume that President Bola Tinubu is making lopsided appointments. “We are totally in support that the government should look at it and be fair not only to the North Eastern part of the country but to every part of the country.”
However, the Presidency has defended President Tinubu’s appointment record, highlighting a balanced regional distribution of key federal positions.
According to Special Adviser on Media and Public Communications, Sunday Dare, via his verified X handle @SundayDareSD on Wednesday, President Tinubu has appointed 71 individuals from the North and 63 from the South, demonstrating a slight numerical difference that still reflects a fair distribution across Nigeria’s regions.
Amid ongoing debates over perceived regional imbalance in federal appointments, Dare asserted that the President remains committed to equity, competence, and national unity. He emphasised that Tinubu’s decisions are never influenced by tribal or religious sentiments.
“People tend to isolate new appointments so far made by the President and examine them with a tribal lens,” Dare said. “But it is too early to conclude that appointments are lopsided. Tinubu has barely completed two years in office and there are still plenty more appointments coming.”
He argued that a broader and impartial analysis would reveal that the Tinubu administration is making significant strides in upholding federal character and fostering national inclusion.
Responding earlier to Ndume’s comments in a post shared via his X handle on Tuesday evening, Special Adviser to the President on Media and Publicity, Bayo Onanuga described Ndume’s criticism as “hypocritical” and “selective perception.”
The North East lawmakers, who cut short their holidays to address the issue of the SAPZ programme noted that despite the enormous agricultural and livestock potential of the North East, the zone was left out of the first phase launched on Tuesday, April 8 by Vice President Kashim Shettima in Kaduna State.
The SAPZ initiative with $530 million funding from the Federal Government, African Development Bank (ADB), Islamic Development Bank (IDB) and International Fund for Agricultural Development (IFAD) is designed to transform Nigeria’s agricultural sector through innovation, private sector investment and strategic public partnerships. The programme aims to establish agro-industrial hubs, reduce post-harvest losses, and create economic opportunities in rural areas.
Under the current phase, seven states and the Federal Capital Territory have been selected. Kaduna, Kano, Ogun, and Oyo will host two zones in the North West and South West, respectively, while one zone each has been allocated to the South South, South East and North Central regions.
Senator Danjuma Goje, who addressed the press on behalf of the caucus, described the exclusion as worrisome, especially given the North East’s contributions to Nigeria’s GDP through agricultural production. He stressed that the region covers nearly one-third of Nigeria’s landmass and possesses significant potential across all agricultural value chains.
“The North East is known for its enormous livestock and crop growth. It is extremely worrisome that we are excluded from what is regarded as a presidential priority project aimed at addressing longstanding challenges in the agricultural sector.”
While commending President Bola Tinubu for supporting the SAPZ initiative, the caucus appealed for fairness and inclusivity in its implementation, urging the Federal Government to reconsider and include the North East zone in the programme.
Usman Ahmadu Jaha from Borno State who represents Chibok, Damboa and Goza, noted that the advent of insurgency in the region has worsened poverty among the people and therefore, it should not be excluded from development projects such as the SAPZ.
“Stability of the North East sub-region is very, very critical and important to the stability of the remaining five geopolitical zones in the country. So this is why whenever we see where we are being shortchanged, there is a need for us to draw the attention of the policymakers that we still exist as human beings and we deserve to be treated as such.”
Minority Leader of the House of Representatives, Ali Isa, called for fairness, saying the purpose of any government is to ensure fairness.
“Our constitution clearly specifies that federal character must be applied not only on appointment but including projects. I find it difficult to believe how the Federal government can have six locations that they want to share eight locations in this country. And out of the eight, North East is one of the six zones we have in the North and in the country. And we cannot allocate one to the North East? This is very unacceptable.
“And if we are talking about farming, if you go to the North East, we have the biggest dam. Look at the Mambilla Dam in Taraba. Look at the Gubi Dam in Bauchi. Look at that in Dadin Kowa Dam, Balanga Dam, Charm Dam in Gombe. And if you go to Yobe, we have the same. So these are the criterias. Without any sentiment, we are calling on the federal government to look at this issue and do the needful at the appropriate time.”
The caucus exonerated Vice President Kashim Shettima of any wrongdoing in the exclusion of the region from the SAPZ initiative, saying he was merely acting as an appointee of the government doing his job on behalf of the president.
“We have been voted to stand for our people and talk about our people. So if you see anything, you don’t need to, the vice-president went there on behalf of the president and he goes there as a federal government identity. We as legislators were voted for by our people. So we are standing for our people. Wherever we see there is short change on behalf of the North East, we always talk about the North East,” the lawmaker said.
“We are saying it’s only fair for the North East to be given this. Let me tell you, if you talk about livestock in Nigeria, the North East is the one. So why would projects of this magnitude take place in Nigeria without a single state in the North East? We ask which criteria was used in selecting those states that a North East state cannot qualify?
“That is why today we came, we are not protesting, but we are drawing the attention of the Federal Government and those policymakers to always remember that there is a zone within called North East whenever we are deciding on projects and programmes of the Federal Government.”
