A wave of anger and frustration is sweeping across the South-East and South-South regions of Nigeria as citizens, stakeholders, and youth advocates decry the glaring imbalance in federal infrastructural investment under President Bola Ahmed Tinubu’s administration.
Many Nigerians are questioning the president’s commitment to national equity, especially after the release of a staggering list of multi-trillion-naira projects either completed or ongoing exclusively in Lagos State—Tinubu’s political base. Despite the South-East (SE) and South-South (SS) zones being Nigeria’s oil revenue heartland, their federal allocation in terms of infrastructure appears grossly inadequate, if not entirely absent.
According to concerned voices across the region, the president’s actions have further entrenched a culture of marginalisation and systemic neglect, particularly towards the Igbo nation and oil-rich communities that have continued to power the nation’s economy.
A Deep Dive into Lagos-Only Projects
The following is a summary of projects already executed or budgeted for in Lagos State in less than two years of the Tinubu presidency:
- Lagos-Calabar Highway: N15 trillion (massive federal highway spanning from Lagos but controversially prioritised in Lagos axis only).
- Lagos-Ibadan Expressway: N196 billion, nearing completion.
- 7th Axial Road (Lekki corridor): $651 million (approx. N1.2 trillion).
- Murtala Muhammed International Airport Overhaul: N712 billion.
- Perimeter Fencing & Security at Lagos Airport: N50 billion.
- Lagos-Shagamu Road: N11 billion.
- Lekki-Epe Service Lane Upgrade: N158 billion.
- Lagos-Badagry-Sokoto Mega Highway: N1.6 trillion.
- Rehabilitation of Four Major Lagos Bridges: Cost undisclosed.
- Proposed Lagos Light Rail Loan: $2 billion (approx. N3.2 trillion) from China.
These projects are part of a broader Lagos-centred infrastructure bonanza, including energy projects such as the University of Lagos power station, multiple housing estates under the Renewed Hope Cities initiative, and renewed public-private partnership (PPP) schemes with multinational investment firms—all focused solely in Lagos.
Southeast and South-South: Betrayed Yet Again?
Reacting to the lopsided development, several commentators from the South-East have demanded immediate answers:
“Where is the rehabilitation of the Port Harcourt–Maiduguri (PH-Kano) railway? Where is the long-promised standard seaport in the South-East? Why must we beg for basic infrastructure while oil from our soil builds cities elsewhere?” —a prominent youth activist queried.
Despite providing over 80% of Nigeria’s crude oil revenue, the SS and SE regions continue to suffer infrastructural decay, insecurity, unemployment, and environmental degradation. The Niger Delta is still battling with oil spills, while Aba, Onitsha, and Enugu—major economic hubs in the East—remain without federal rail connections, dry ports, or export processing zones.
Many fear that these injustices are not coincidental but a deliberate economic strangulation meant to weaken the region's political and economic influence.
A Call for Equity
Citizens are demanding transparency, equity, and balanced national development. The call is not for Lagos to be stripped of development, but for other regions—particularly those that generate the nation’s wealth—to receive commensurate federal investment.
As Nigeria moves further into Tinubu’s presidency, observers warn that continued neglect of the SE and SS regions could deepen national disunity, intensify agitations, and ultimately erode the credibility of the current administration’s “Renewed Hope” agenda.
“Renewed Hope must not mean Renewed Favoritism. The presidency must rise to its duty as a leader of all Nigerians, not just Lagos,” said a political analyst.
The South-East and South-South are watching. The clock is ticking.
