The Chairman of the Northern Christian Association (NCA), Rev. John Hayab, has acknowledged what he described as notable infrastructure and development projects undertaken by the administration of President Bola Tinubu across Northern Nigeria, while calling for stronger action against insecurity, hunger and poverty.
Hayab said it would be unfair for northerners to deny benefiting from the Federal Government’s interventions, stressing that acknowledging the administration’s achievements should not amount to giving it a blank cheque.
The cleric made the remarks in an interview while assessing the performance of the Tinubu administration in the North.
He cited several major road projects as evidence of ongoing federal investment in the region, including the Akwanga-Maiduguri, Jos-Jalingo and Kaduna-Birnin Gwari-Mokwa-Lagos road corridors, as well as the Sokoto-Lagos route.
According to him, the scale of the projects demonstrates that significant resources are being committed to improving infrastructure across the region.
Hayab also compared the performance of the Tinubu administration with that of former President Muhammadu Buhari, arguing that some projects left unfinished under the previous administration had received renewed attention.
He specifically cited the Kaduna-Abuja highway, which he said had remained a major source of concern for commuters during Buhari’s eight-year tenure.
“Buhari didn’t perform and they are doing better than his. So, why don’t you acknowledge it? Because it’s not for free. Huge money has been invested in those projects,” he said.
Hayab said the poor condition of the Kaduna-Abuja highway had exposed commuters to significant risks over the years, but noted that the present administration appeared to be making greater efforts to address the infrastructure deficit.
He also pointed to improvements along the Abuja-Makurdi route, saying better road conditions had contributed to reduced travel time for motorists.
The NCA chairman said the completion of the Mararaba flyover would further ease traffic congestion and improve transportation along the corridor.
Beyond infrastructure, Hayab argued that the North had maintained significant representation in the Tinubu administration, citing the national chairmanship of the ruling party and key ministerial appointments.
“The North is there. The North is the party chairman of his party. The North is the Minister of Information. The North is the Defence Minister. The two Defence Ministers are all from the North,” he said.
Hayab also highlighted federal projects in Southern Kaduna, particularly the establishment of a Federal University and a Federal Medical Centre.
He said the projects addressed longstanding demands by residents of the area, adding that the region could not honestly claim that there had been no improvement.
“For us in Southern Kaduna, we cannot lie that things have not improved,” he said.
According to him, the Federal Medical Centre was particularly significant because residents had demanded such a facility since the administration of former President Olusegun Obasanjo, but successive governments had failed to fulfil the request until the current administration approved the project.
Despite his assessment of the administration’s achievements, Hayab said the Federal Government must intensify efforts to address insecurity, hunger and poverty, which he identified as major challenges confronting communities across the North.
He also cautioned against placing the entire responsibility for the region’s development challenges on the Federal Government, urging northern residents to hold state governments accountable for the utilisation of resources allocated to them.
The cleric said increased revenue accruing to state governments should translate into tangible improvements in infrastructure, livelihoods and social services at the grassroots.
Hayab stressed that recognising the administration’s achievements did not mean endorsing all its policies or abandoning criticism where necessary.
He said he would continue to speak out whenever the government got things wrong, but maintained that fairness required people to acknowledge positive developments when they occurred.
“They want to blame the man in Abuja. When he is bad, we will tell him. But in this case, I think he is right,” he said.
Hayab added that personal or political differences should not prevent citizens from recognising developments they considered beneficial to their communities.
“If I do not praise them just because I don’t like them, then I’m not a good Christian. I don’t believe in that,” he said.
He maintained that northerners should objectively assess the administration’s performance while continuing to demand stronger measures to address the region’s security, economic and humanitarian challenges.
“But the North cannot pretend to say that it has not benefited from this government,” he added.
