Sunday Dare, Special Adviser, Media & Public Communication/Spokesperson to President Bola Tinubu, has faulted reports suggesting that Lagos State is favoured at the expense of Northern Nigeria in the allocation of federal projects.

In a statement, Dare pointed at a headline by Daily Trust which read: “In Two Years, Lagos Gets ₦3.9 Trillion Projects.” He described the report as sensational and misleading. According to him, “Numbers without context are not facts. They are distortions, weaponized to inflame rather than inform. The attempt to portray Lagos as over-pampered while casting the North as neglected is not just misleading, it is lazy journalism. The truth is more complex, more national, and more honest. President Bola Tinubu is not just a statesman, he is a nationalist and a President for all.”

Quoting directly, Dare stressed: “WHY LAGOS. YES LAGOS. (AND ABUJA TOO). THE NORTH IS MOBILIZED. NOT MARGINALIZED.”

He explained that Northern Nigeria has received significant capital allocations in 2024 and 2025, showing that the region is mobilised rather than neglected. Projects listed include the Abuja–Kano Expressway dualization, the ₦12.1 trillion Sokoto–Badagry Superhighway with ₦3.63 trillion already approved for rollout in Sokoto and Kebbi, the Kano–Maradi Railway, and the Zungeru–Kano Power Line. He also mentioned the Funtua and Bauchi Inland Dry Ports and airport upgrades in Katsina, Maiduguri, and Kaduna.

Agricultural and water infrastructure are also part of the investments. These include the Sokoto-Rima, Upper Benue, Hadejia-Jama’are, and Lower Niger River Basins, alongside food-security initiatives like Special Agro-Processing Zones in Borno, Kaduna, and Kebbi, as well as wheat development projects in Jigawa and Kano. Dare said this demonstrates clear mobilisation rather than marginalisation.

On Lagos and Abuja, Dare noted that critics often fail to put numbers in the right context. “What did Lagos receive in 2013–2015? Or 2021–2023? Without period-over-period comparisons, adjusted for inflation, exchange rates, and statutory revenue outturns, any single number is meaningless,” he said.

He explained that Lagos, with over 23 million residents, is not just a state but Africa’s second-largest city economy. With hundreds of thousands migrating annually, every Nigerian ethnicity is represented there, making Lagos a national melting pot. The city faces infrastructure loads that no other state in the federation carries.

Abuja, according to Dare, is on a similar path of growth. He said it is one of Africa’s fastest-growing cities, projected to exceed 7 million people by 2030. As the federal capital, Abuja holds the daily burden of civil service, the diplomatic corps, and an expanding private sector. This makes strategic federal support essential.

“That is why President Bola Ahmed Tinubu has given extra care to both Lagos and Abuja. Not as favoritism, but as strategy. When these two urban giants work, Nigeria breathes easier. When they fail, the whole country suffers,” Dare explained.

He further highlighted that national development plans are continuous. The projects being executed in Lagos and Abuja trace back to previous frameworks such as the Economic Recovery and Growth Plan (2017–2020), the Economic Sustainability Plan during COVID-19 in 2020, and the National Development Plan (2021–2025). The upcoming Renewed Hope Plan (2026–2030) will continue in that direction.

Comparing with international examples, Dare stated that mega-cities demand mega-support. He cited New York City, which received $117.5 billion in federal support in the 2022 fiscal year for housing, health, education, and transport. Johannesburg in South Africa, generating one-third of the country’s GDP, also aligns its budget with federal resources, with its 2025/26 provincial budget topping R172 billion.

“If New York and Johannesburg receive proportional federal support because of their scale, why should Lagos and Abuja be treated differently?” he asked.

He added that responsible journalism requires rigour and context. “We must separate propaganda from journalism. That’s the inescapable duty of media practice.”

Dare concluded by stressing the importance of both cities. “Because Lagos is Nigeria’s economic lifeblood. Because Abuja is its political and diplomatic heartbeat. Because both cities carry the daily weight of the federation—demographically, economically, and symbolically. Investing in Lagos and Abuja is not favoritism. It is statecraft.”

“The real question is not ‘Why Lagos?’ or ‘Why Abuja?’ The real question is: What happens to Nigeria if Lagos and Abuja are ignored?”

Akwa Ibom State Government has dismissed a report by Sahara Reporters alleging that the administration deducts 15 percent from workers’ salaries as tithe.

The Government described the claim as “a reckless fabrication, a deliberate falsehood, and a failed attempt to smear the image of the Government and mislead the public.”

The publication had displayed a screenshot of a remittance form alongside a shaded copy of a letter purportedly from the Office of the Secretary to the State Government. However, findings revealed that the document relates strictly to the remuneration of certain categories of Personal Aides to the Governor, who are political appointees.

For clarity, there are various categories of Aides to the Governor whose monthly gross salary structure ranges from N200,000 to N1,432,000. These include:
i. Honorary Special Advisers
ii. Senior Special Assistants
iii. Special Assistants (SA1 & SA2)
iv. Personal Assistants (PA, PA1, PA2/Ward PAS, PA3, PA4)
v. Project Supervisors

Governor Umo Eno had earlier stated during a Town Square meeting in Ikono/Ini Federal Constituency that a full Personal Assistant to the Governor does not earn less than one million naira in salary and allowances monthly.

The Government clarified that the deduction reflected in the purported credit alert is not a tithe but a statutory tax. According to the statement, “Every worker in Akwa Ibom State, whether an appointee or a civil servant, pays taxes.

Similarly, private sector workers also remit their PAYE taxes to the State Internal Revenue Service (AKIRS). One wonders why the routine payment of tax, which is a constitutional responsibility of every citizen and is deducted at source from employees or appointees, is now being mischievously twisted to mean tithes. Tithes to who, and for what, if we may ask?”

The Government further challenged anyone to provide proof of any remittance of funds from government accounts for tithes at any time since Governor Umo Eno assumed office.

“The Government of Akwa Ibom State views this publication as mischievous, irresponsible, and ill-motivated. The matter is already under investigation, and appropriate steps will be taken to bring to book those behind this malicious falsehood,” the statement said.

It also urged the public to ignore the claims entirely, stressing that the Akwa Ibom State Government remains committed to transparency, accountability, and the welfare of its workers. “We will not be distracted by desperate attempts to distort the truth,” the statement added.

The Commissioner for Information, Rt. Hon. Aniekan Umanah, cautioned Sahara Reporters and other media outlets against publishing unverified reports. “The Government will not hesitate to take every legal measure necessary to hold purveyors of fake news accountable,” he warned.

Osun State All Progressives Congress (APC) Women Leader, Mrs. Kudiratu Fakokunde, yesterday alleged that female members of the party were shortchanged by the wife of the state governor, Mrs. Titilayo Adeleke, in the sharing of the business support grant initiated by the First Lady of Nigeria, Senator Oluremi Tinubu.

No fewer than 200 businesswomen across the 332 wards of the state benefited from the grant, which was designed to support women in their trades and small businesses. The initiative, under the Renewed Hope Programme of Mrs. Tinubu, was organised in collaboration with the Tony Elumelu Foundation to empower grassroots women nationwide.

Speaking at the presentation of the grants at the Tinubu/Shettima campaign office in Osogbo, Mrs. Fakokunde praised Senator Oluremi Tinubu for the effort, noting that it would strengthen women’s ability to contribute more effectively to the economy and their households.

She however expressed disappointment at the actions of the Osun governor’s wife, insisting that the allocation given to APC women was unfairly reduced despite her intervention.

According to her, “When I went to meet the First Lady of Osun State at Government House, she first said she would give us 100 slots against 300 that ought to be given to us. I opposed the proposal, until we were given 200. Even then she still shortchanged us. That is not fair.”

Also lending her voice, the former aide of the Minister of Marine and Blue Economy, Mrs. Folake Olaniyan, commended President Bola Tinubu and the First Lady for supporting women with the empowerment scheme. She, however, urged that closer monitoring be put in place to ensure fairness.

She said: “We want to appeal to them, that they should monitor the programme closely because it is not done equitably. From the previous ones that were done, I noticed that it is not done equitably. The other party is benefiting more than the APC.”

Reacting to the claims, the Chief Press Secretary to the governor’s wife, Adeleke Adewale, dismissed the allegations. He said, “They were never shortchanged. The empowerment is for 500 people and they were given 200. We use to carry them along for all grants or gesture from the federal government.”

August 31, 2025 – Contextual misinterpretation has trailed a recent statement made by the Farmer Governor of Niger State, Mohammed Umaru Bago, with the Chief Press Secretary to the governor, Bologi Ibrahim, clarifying that the words were wrongly understood.

Recall that Sahara Reporters earlier published a video of Governor Umaru saying, “If I were to sell Niger State to raise funds for the state projects, what is your business?”

In a statement, Bologi Ibrahim explained that the governor’s comment about selling the state was interpreted out of context, especially by what he described as mischief makers.

He noted that the misinterpretation has unfortunately given rise to unnecessary debates across both social media and traditional media platforms.

According to him, “Most people interpreted the statement literally and failed to grasp the intended meaning.” He stressed that the governor was only expressing his passion and firm commitment to take all possible steps within his power to address the challenges confronting Niger State.

The Governor’s Spokesman further questioned the negative imagination of those who chose to interpret the words literally, saying, “My boss is most committed to serving humanity.” He added that many well-meaning residents of the state remain proud of the farmer governor’s pragmatic approach towards economic growth and infrastructural development.

Bologi Ibrahim also reassured the public that the Niger State government will not be distracted by individuals who, consciously or unconsciously, continue to take the governor’s statement out of context. He emphasised that Governor Umaru Bago is focused on policies that can transform agriculture, education, energy, and business opportunities within the state.

He concluded by stating that “Farmer Governor Umaru Bago remains unwavering in the actualisation of the New Niger agenda desired by all.”