Presidency’s Infrastructure Report Contains Geographical Errors, ADC Alleges

The African Democratic Congress (ADC) has accused the Presidency of publishing an infrastructure progress report riddled with geographical inaccuracies, alleging that it exposes the administration’s “alarming comfort with misleading the public with fake news.”

The party’s statement, issued by its National Publicity Secretary, Bolaji Abdullahi, on Tuesday, came in response to a document released by the Presidency to counter claims of regional bias in project allocation.

The Presidency’s report, intended to show broad distribution of projects, listed several initiatives under incorrect geo-political zones. The ADC highlighted specific errors, stating, “Under the section purportedly dedicated to Northwestern Nigeria, the government lists 12 projects, but upon closer scrutiny, at least four of those projects do not belong there.”

The party provided examples, noting, “Let’s take the Damaturu–Maiduguri road, for instance. This was supposedly a 110km road that was listed under the North-West. Yet, Damaturu is the capital of Yobe State, and Maiduguri is the capital of Borno State, and Borno State is in the North-East.”

Similarly, the ADC pointed out that “the Lokoja–Okene dualisation project” was misclassified. “Lokoja is the capital of Kogi State, which, along with Okene, falls squarely within the North-Central zone. Yet, the government’s report would have us believe it is a North-Western initiative.”

The Benue–9th Mile road was also “mislabeled under the North-West, despite Benue being in the North-Central,” the party stated.

Furthermore, the ADC alleged that “some projects were listed twice, once under their actual regions and again under the North-West.” The party criticised this as evidence of “infographics being padded with such brazen creativity.”

The opposition party dismissed the report as a “hasty propaganda effort aimed at damage control” and indicative of the government’s “nepotistic and exclusionary style of governance.” It emphasised that “this is the first time that any government in Nigeria would be so hard pressed to prove that it has actually given all parts of the country a sense of belonging.”

The ADC concluded by demanding greater transparency, urging the administration to “release full reports on award and implementation of these projects if it must be taken seriously.”