By David Akinadewo-Adekahunsi
The National Chairman of the All Progressives Congress (APC), Professor Nentawe Yilwatda, has declared that the administration of President Bola Ahmed Tinubu is executing a deliberate and far-reaching economic masterplan aimed at transforming Kano into Northern Nigeria’s foremost commercial hub and a strategic gateway for trade across West Africa.
Yilwatda, who spoke in Abuja over the weekend, said the Federal Government’s ongoing infrastructure and industrial investments in Kano and across the northern corridor are part of a coordinated national strategy designed to restore the city’s historic status as the economic heartbeat of the North and one of Africa’s most important inland commercial centres.
According to him, the Tinubu administration recognises Kano as the natural commercial nerve centre of Northern Nigeria and a critical link between the country and the wider West African hinterland.
In a statement signed by his Special Adviser on Media and Communications Strategy, Abimbola Tooki, the APC National Chairman explained that the President’s vision is to position Kano as Nigeria’s second-largest business and industrial hub after Lagos, while establishing it as a principal gateway for trade into the Sahel and Francophone West Africa.
He listed several ongoing and proposed landmark projects underpinning the plan, including the accelerated completion of the Kaduna–Kano standard gauge railway, which is expected to link Kano directly with Abuja and Southern Nigeria, significantly reducing the cost and time of transporting goods and passengers.
The rail line, he said, is projected to become operational within the year.
Yilwatda also highlighted the Kano–Maradi rail project, which will connect Kano to Niger Republic and the broader Sahel trade belt, thereby expanding Nigeria’s export and import corridors into Francophone West Africa, with completion targeted for 2026/2027.
He added that the recently approved Kano Metropolitan Rail Service is designed to modernise intra-city transportation, ease congestion and enhance logistics efficiency in the state capital.
The APC chairman further pointed to the Ajaokuta–Kaduna–Kano (AKK) Gas Pipeline as a critical component of the administration’s industrialisation drive, noting that it will supply gas to factories, fertiliser plants and power generation facilities across Kano and the wider North, thereby revitalising manufacturing and attracting new investments.
He also referenced ongoing improvements in power generation and transmission along the Kaduna–Kano industrial axis, which are expected to stabilise electricity supply for industries.
In addition, Yilwatda cited the rehabilitation and expansion of the Abuja–Kaduna–Zaria–Kano road corridor as well as the proposed Sokoto–Badagry Super Highway as key projects that will enhance connectivity between the North and Southern export markets, opening new economic corridors and boosting trade efficiency.
He maintained that the scale of investment in Kano is driven by strategic national economic considerations, including the state’s status as Northern Nigeria’s largest commercial ecosystem, its geographical advantage as a gateway to the Sahel, and its historical role in textiles, leatherworks, agro-processing and trade.
He added that reviving Kano’s economy is central to broader efforts to stimulate industrial growth, reduce poverty and unemployment, and strengthen national stability.
The APC chairman argued that no previous administration had undertaken such an integrated approach to infrastructure development in Northern Nigeria, describing the combination of rail networks, gas pipelines, metropolitan transit systems, industrial power projects and superhighways as a unified framework for long-term economic transformation.
Yilwatda also took a swipe at opposition parties, accusing them of focusing on political attacks and propaganda rather than offering constructive alternatives or development blueprints, insisting that the Tinubu administration remains committed to building critical infrastructure that will drive economic growth for generations.
He expressed confidence that the President’s policies and projects would ultimately reposition Kano as the undisputed economic capital of Northern Nigeria, stating that history would remember Tinubu as the leader who restored the city’s commercial prominence, accelerated industrialisation in the North and laid the foundation for Nigeria’s next phase of economic prosperity.
