Why The Southwest Deserves Two Full Terms – For Balance and Peace.

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Nigeria at a Crossroads: Leadership, Development, and the Urgent Case for Southern Stewardship

Since gaining independence in 1960, Nigeria has witnessed a turbulent political history defined by alternating military and civilian rule, ethnic rivalry, and systemic underdevelopment. At the heart of this debate lies the critical issue of leadership distribution between the North and South. While the North has occupied the country’s apex leadership position for over 47 of its 65 post-independence years, it remains the most underdeveloped and insecure region.

This comprehensive report dives deep into Nigeria’s leadership history, the consequences of Northern dominance, and the evidence-backed rationale for sustained Southern leadership. It highlights President Bola Ahmed Tinubu’s achievements, including infrastructure, agricultural reforms, and inclusive governance, to challenge the prevailing propaganda and restore the conversation to one of competence, vision, and national renewal.

Leadership Timeline: 1960–2025

Cumulative Leadership Time:

• North: ~47 years
• South: ~18 years

The Development Gap Under Northern Leadership

Poverty and Education

• Over 80% of the population in the North-West and North-East live below the poverty line.
• The region has the highest number of out-of-school children in Nigeria.

Security

• Terrorism, banditry, and kidnapping have become normalized in large swathes of the North.
• Buhari’s administration spent over ₦15 trillion on security with little measurable impact.

Infrastructure & Rent-Seeking

• Despite substantial federal investments, critical infrastructure remains poor.
• A culture of dependency emerged, relying on oil revenues and political influence rather than productivity.

Buhari’s Lost Opportunity

• Trillions of naira printed and distributed under the guise of rice farming and poverty alleviation.
• The Ministry of Humanitarian Affairs disbursing massive, unaccounted social intervention funds.
• Admission by his aide, Bashir Ahmad, that large sums meant for Northern farmers were stolen.
• Trillions of naira were allocated under the guise of agricultural stimulus and feeding programs—much of it was mismanaged.
• Instead of leveraging federal power to transform the North, Buhari’s administration deepened its economic dependency.
• Admitted embezzlement by aides like Bashir Ahmad confirms systemic corruption.

Tinubu’s Development Agenda: Delivery Over Rhetoric

Agricultural Infrastructure: Dams & Dry Season Farming

• In 2025, Tinubu approved ₦350 billion to expand 12 River Basin Development Authorities.
• Completed and ongoing dam/irrigation projects include Bakalori (Zamfara), Dadin‑Kowa (Gombe), Rafin Yashin (Niger), Odo‑Ape (Kogi), plus 565 water‑and‑sanitation schemes across the country.
• Now over 1.65 million smallholder farmers benefit from year-round irrigation, strengthening food security.

Fertilizer and Inputs Distribution

• Under the National Agricultural Development Fund, ₦100 billion was allocated to subsidize fertilizers, seeds, and farm equipment.
• Benue State: 4,000 bags of fertilizer, irrigation kits, and rice seeds distributed.
• Wheat Program: Over 118,000 hectares cultivated in 15 states using improved inputs.

Regional Development Commissions

• Tinubu’s administration established Development Commissions for all six geopolitical zones, ensuring equity.
• A special commission was also proposed for the disadvantaged South-South region, addressing years of neglect.
• These bodies channel federal funds equitably across flagship projects in roads, water, education, and agribusiness.

Empowerment of State Governors

• No president has disbursed more funds to state governments in peacetime.
• Gombe State recently received ₦60 billion for an agro-processing hub.
• Governors across regions report receiving unprecedented federal support for agriculture, roads, education, and security.
• Federal procurement reforms—blockchain transparency and citizen‑feedback portals—support accountability.

Additional Major Interventions in the North

Healthcare & Cancer Center

• In Kafanchan, Kaduna, Tinubu converted the Sir Patrick Ibrahim Yakowa Hospital into a Federal Medical Centre (≈ 200 beds), commissioned in early 2025 to serve Kaduna, Plateau, Nasarawa, and Benue.

Kaduna Infrastructure: Light Rail & More

• In June 2025, Tinubu inaugurated several projects in Kaduna State, including:
  • A 300‑bed Bola Ahmed Tinubu Specialist Hospital.
  • Allocation of ₦100 billion for a Kaduna Light Rail Transit project.
  • Vocational training institute, CNG bus fleet, and other development schemes.

Ongoing Road Projects in Northern Nigeria
According to Minister of Works, Sen. Dave Umahi:

• Northern Nigeria has around 756 km of ongoing road construction (3‑lane equivalent), compared to just 409 km in the South.
• Major projects include:
  • Sokoto–Badagry Superhighway (1,068 km) – 378 km under construction in Sokoto/Kebbi.
  • Sokoto–Zamfara–Katsina–Kaduna Road (275 km dualised).
  • Abuja–Kaduna–Kano Highway (350 km dualised).
  • BUA Tax Credit Corridor (256 km) across Jigawa, Katsina, Kano.
  • Zaria–Hunkuyi (156 km), Kano Northern Bypass (49 km), Borno Ring Road (110 km), Bama–Dikwa roads (100 km).

• Inherited from prior administrations but proactively funded by Tinubu’s government.
• Northern Nigeria accounts for 53% of NNPC Tax Credit road projects vs. 47% for the South.

Why It Matters: South-Led Leadership With National Reach

Historical Injustice

• Visionaries like Obafemi Awolowo and MKO Abiola were denied the presidency despite their qualifications and popularity.
• The South-West, Africa’s largest homogeneous ethnic bloc and most educated region, has only recently begun to lead.
• Leaders like Obafemi Awolowo and MKO Abiola were denied leadership despite their vision and popularity.

Track Record of Performance

• Tinubu’s policies focus on infrastructure, economic reform, education, and transparency.
• Southern leadership has consistently promoted national cohesion and development over ethnic domination.

Performance Over Propaganda

• Tinubu’s administration demonstrates that a Southern president can deliver proportionally more investments in the North than any prior northern-led government.
• Projects are transparent, measurable, and across sectors—not symbolic window dressing.

Political Equity

• Democracy requires fairness and rotation of leadership.
• The North cannot claim marginalization after 47 years of leadership that failed to uplift its region.

The Case for 30 More Years of Southern Leadership

Sustained Southern leadership—rotating among South-West, South-South, and South-East—would:

• Correct historical imbalance.
• Reward competence and merit.
• Implement decentralized, accountable governance.
• Break cycles of dependency and rent‑seeking.

Conclusion: Focus on Facts, Not Ethnicity

Leadership must no longer be seen as a means of rent-seeking or regional dominance. The North’s historical monopoly on power has not benefited its people. Instead, Nigeria’s future lies in competence, inclusiveness, and evidence-based governance.

President Tinubu is not perfect, but his policies reflect a serious commitment to national transformation. The facts speak for themselves:

• Massive investments in agriculture and irrigation.
• Equal empowerment of all regions.
• Transparent and strategic fiscal devolution.

Tinubu’s presidency stands in sharp contrast to past leadership. The North has received more infrastructure, health, irrigation, and road investments within two years than in decades prior. This proves Southern leadership—when performance-driven and inclusive—is Nigeria’s best hope.

Let the legacy of leadership not be judged by region, but by delivery, fairness, and national renewal.

Dr. G. Fraser MFR
The National Patriots
This comprehensive report by the National Patriots and HeadlineNews.News is grounded in official statements, ministerial briefings, and respected media sources.

Legacy Leadership & Value Creation: A New Nigeria Must Emerge

Commentaries:

“Leadership is Measured by Legacy, Not Longevity”

Excerpt:
We must begin counting leadership from 1960, when Nigerians began to govern themselves. Not from 1999. The truth is the North has ruled for 47 years, and the South only 18.

Quote:

> “What counts in life is not the mere fact that we have lived. It is what difference we have made.” — Nelson Mandela

Comment:
Don’t rewrite history to suit political narratives. Legacy, not recentness, is what counts in governance evaluation.

“Equity Is Not Entitlement: Every Region Must Earn Leadership”

Excerpt:
Every region has a right to contest, but no region should feel entitled to permanent power. The North had decades but left its people in poverty. Leadership is not a birthright—it’s stewardship.

Quote:

> “Good governance is not about where you come from. It is about what you are doing for the people.” — Paul Kagame

Comment:
Tinubu’s government is more inclusive and impactful for the North than past Northern-led governments. That’s equity in action.

“From Rent-Seeking to Value Creation: A New Nigeria Must Emerge”

Excerpt:
The culture of handouts and federal allocations without productivity must end. Tinubu’s approach invests in agriculture, irrigation, and smallholder farmers.

Quote:

> “Wealth must be created before it is shared. Nigeria must move from consumption to production.” — Dr. Gloria Fraser, MFR, Founder, National Patriots Network

Comment:
Leadership must shift Nigeria from dependency to productivity. Rent-seeking has robbed generations of dignity.

“Unity Without Development Is Emptiness”

Excerpt:
Tinubu has built more in the North than many of its former leaders—Kaduna Light Rail, cancer centres, irrigation dams, and federal roads.

Quote:

> “It is only in the fair distribution of development that a united Africa can thrive.” — African Union Commission

Comment:
Unity doesn’t come from political slogans. It comes from building lives and livelihoods across all zones.

“Governance Is Not Geography—It’s Competence”

Excerpt:
The South is delivering development to the North. Tinubu’s government shows that good leadership is not region-bound.

Quote:

> “Leadership should be about service, not possession.” — Kofi Annan

Comment:
Nigeria needs competence, not quota-based domination. Tinubu’s Southern presidency has benefited every zone.

“We Must Count from the Beginning to Be Fair”

Excerpt:
Beginning from the 4th Republic is revisionist and unfair. Leadership analysis must start in 1960 when the first Nigerian Prime Minister took office.

Quote:

> “If you want to go far, go together—but start together.” — African Proverb

Comment:
Truth must anchor the unity Nigeria desires. And that truth is: the North has led the country most of its post-independence life.

“The South-West Deserves Two Full Terms—For Balance and Peace”

Excerpt:
Buhari led for 8 uninterrupted years. The South-West, having waited for decades and denied leadership multiple times (Awolowo, Abiola), must be allowed to complete its two-term cycle under Tinubu.

Quote:

> “There can be no peace without justice, and no justice without fairness.” — UN Secretary-General António Guterres

Comment:
To maintain national stability and equity, Tinubu must be allowed a second term, just like Buhari. Anything less undermines democratic fairness.

“Northern Mineral Wealth Must Be National Wealth”

Excerpt:
The North holds more mineral resources than the South—gold, lithium, tin—but much of it is mined informally or under elite control. Unlike oil from the Niger Delta, these minerals are not shared nationally.

Quote:

> “When the wealth of a nation is hidden in the hands of the few, justice becomes fiction.” — Dr. Imran Khazaly.

Comment:
If Niger Delta oil is shared by all, so must Northern gold, lithium, and rare earths. The silence is exploitation by another name.

“Legacy Leadership: Tinubu’s Renewed Hope Is Setting a New Standard”

Excerpt:
From roads in Sokoto to schools in Borno and agro-hubs in Gombe, Tinubu’s projects are tangible and national. His actions reflect unity, not rhetoric.

Quote:

> “I am President for all Nigerians—North, South, East, and West. Our progress must be collective.” — President Bola Ahmed Tinubu

Comment:
This presidency is defined by inclusive delivery, not sectional favoritism. Let results—not origin—be the new yardstick.

The National Patriots ©️