Arewa and the 3rd Anniversary of Tinubu’s Renewed Hope Agenda
_By Shehu Mustapha Chaji_
As Nigerians mark the third anniversary of President Bola Ahmed Tinubu in office, reactions across the country remain mixed. A majority of Nigerians view the Tinubu administration positively and say they are willing to vote for him again in 2027.
Much of the opposition to President Tinubu, especially from political opponents, stems more from tribal or regional sentiments than from policy disagreements.
Over the past three years, President Tinubu’s leadership has saved Nigeria from bankruptcy. Federal workers now receive their salaries every month without recourse to bank borrowings. When we compare Nigeria’s situation at the time Tinubu took office with that of similarly challenged economies like Argentina — which struggled to pay salaries — Nigerians should begin to appreciate the progress made under Tinubu.
The opposition’s main criticism centers on the removal of the fuel subsidy. Yet not one opposition figure, from Atiku Abubakar to Peter Obi, campaigned on a promise to restore it. Like ordinary Nigerians, they blame Tinubu, but they have not told us what they would do differently to make Nigeria better.
This is not the era of trading blame and complaints; it is the era of offering solutions. The opposition should present Nigerians with clear blueprints on the economy, security, education, and more — and explain how theirs would outperform Tinubu’s.
The people of Arewa have been major beneficiaries of the dividends of democracy under President Tinubu. In just three years of the Renewed Hope Agenda, projects and infrastructure worth trillions of naira are either underway or set to begin across Northern Nigeria.
It was no surprise that millions of Northern Nigerians turned out en masse to vote for President Bola Ahmed Tinubu as the APC presidential candidate. Of the roughly 11 million votes Tinubu received in the APC presidential primary, more than 6 million came from the North — and those were only from card-carrying APC members. That suggests Tinubu could receive double that number from Northern Nigeria in the 2027 presidential election.
Below are some of the commissioned, ongoing, and soon-to-start projects across Northern Nigeria:
1. *Dasin Hausa Dam*, Adamawa State — 300 megawatts of electricity upon completion.
2. *Alau Dam Rehabilitation*, Borno State.
3. Commissioning of an *Ultra-Modern Oncology (Cancer) Center* at Federal Teaching Hospital, Katsina (FTHK).
4. *Wuju Wuju Road*, Kano.
5. Reconstruction of the *122-kilometer Mando–Birnin Gwari Road*, Kaduna State.
6. Training of *61,000 frontline health workers* and *4,000 health managers* across the North.
7. Upgrading key Federal Teaching and Specialist Hospitals, including *ABUTH Zaria* for Oncology/Nuclear Medicine and *University of Maiduguri Teaching Hospital* for trauma care and drug rehabilitation.
8. Rehabilitation and upgrade of *over 4,300 Primary Healthcare Centers* across 19 Northern states.
9. Employment of *1,000 Forest Guards each* for Borno, Yobe, Adamawa, Kwara, Sokoto, Kebbi, Niger, Plateau, and Benue to secure forests and support the fight against banditry.
10. *Rafin Yashin Multipurpose Dam*, Niger State.
11. *Amla Dam*, Benue State.
12. *Odo-Ape Dam*, Kogi State.
13. *Biliu Water Project*, Jigawa State.
14. *Kasuwan Water Project*, Yobe State.
15. Rehabilitation of dams and irrigation infrastructure across 16 states, including Kano, Gombe, Niger, Benue, Sokoto, Yobe, and Kaduna.
16. Over *one million students* from Northern Nigeria benefiting from the *Nigerian Education Loan Fund (NELFUND)*, with the highest numbers from Bayero University Kano and the University of Maiduguri.
17. Many roads and towns once abandoned due to insecurity are becoming safer, and displaced farmers are returning to their lands.
18. *Energize Commercialization Now (ECoN) for the Northwest Zone*, aimed at strengthening Nigeria’s innovation ecosystem and accelerating economic diversification.
19. *National Community Food Bank Programme* for the Northeast Zone.
20. *North-Central Women Empowerment Programme* — 500 women per state received business tools such as chest freezers, gas cookers, and grinding machines.
21. *Women Agricultural Support Programme* to boost food security and empower women farmers in livestock, poultry, and fish farming across North-Central states.
22. Distribution of *free CNG tricycles and CNG buses* across the North to reduce transport costs.
23. *Sokoto–Badagry Highway* — a 1,068-kilometer project linking Northern and Southern regions through Sokoto, Kebbi, Niger, and Kwara.
24. *Sokoto–Zamfara–Katsina–Kaduna dual carriageway* — 375 kilometers.
25. Ongoing *Ajaokuta–Abuja–Kaduna–Kano (AKK) Gas Pipeline*.
26. Ongoing *Kano–Kaduna Rail Line*.
27. Ongoing construction of *Lafia Bypass*, Nasarawa State.
28. Construction of *thousands of houses* in Sokoto, Kebbi, Katsina, Zamfara, Kaduna, Niger, Benue, and Kano states.
29. Ongoing construction of the *Abuja–Kaduna–Kano Expressway*.
30. Ongoing construction of the *Eastern Bypass*, Kano State.
31. *Maiduguri–Monguno Road*.
32. *Cham–Numan Road* (Gombe–Yola).
33. *9-Mile–Oturkpo–Makurdi Road*.
34. Ongoing construction of the *Abuja–Lokoja Highway*.
35. Ongoing *439-kilometer Akwanga–Jos–Bauchi–Gombe Road*.
36. Ongoing *Kano–Katsina Road*.
37. *Kano City Light Rail*.
38. Construction of bus terminals in Kano, Lokoja, and Gombe.
39. Establishment of *Development Commissions for the Northwest and North-Central*.
40. Dualization of the *Bauchi–Gombe Road*.
41. About *135 roads constructed or reconstructed* in the FCT.
42. *Greater Abuja Water Supply Project*.
43. *Greater Dutse Water Supply Scheme*.
44. Ongoing construction of the *456-kilometer Trans-Saharan Road*.
45. Ongoing construction of the *Gwagalada Independent Power Plant* — 1,350 megawatts.
46. Ongoing construction of the *Kano–Dutse–Maradi Rail Line*.
47. Ecological protection in *16 Local Government Areas* of Kano State.
48. Approval of *₦1.5 billion* for a new earth dam in *Bela, Bichi*, Kano State.
49. Approval of *₦19 billion* for the resumption of the *Kano–Gwarzo–Dayi dual carriageway*.
50. Approval for a *7-megawatt solar power project* at *Aminu Kano Teaching Hospital (AKTH)* to reduce dependence on the national grid.
51. Ongoing *₦26 billion project* at AKTH for a five-storey Accident, Emergency, and Trauma Unit.
52. Approval of the *Kano–Kongolom 132-kilometer road* linking Kano with Jigawa and Katsina states.
53. Launch of Phase 1 of the *Revival, Rehabilitation, and Reactivation of the Kano South Irrigation Scheme*.
These are just some of the projects, achievements, and benefits the people of Arewa are enjoying under President Bola Ahmed Tinubu.
If the opposition is serious, they should tell us what they will do for Northern Nigeria and its people, rather than spread malicious propaganda.
To the people of Northern Nigeria, President Tinubu is, by extension, the new *Sardauna of Arewa*. He is doing great work uniting Arewa’s people — who differ in religion, sect, language, and culture.
And the people of Arewa will not forget how President Tinubu respected their Emirs and Ulama when democracy was overthrown in Niger Republic, choosing restraint over forceful intervention.
With these achievements that the North has benefited from under Tinubu’s Renewed Hope Agenda, how likely is it that they will elect someone else?
The people of Arewa will overwhelmingly vote again for President Tinubu to reciprocate the dividends of democracy they are enjoying under his leadership.
Shehu Mustapha Chaji
_Writes from Kano_