05/ 67Northeast
Who forgot the Northeast
A video by federal deputy Nikolas Ferreira (PL-MG) says Lula forgot Brazil’s Northeast[1]. It was Jair Bolsonaro’s government that gave the region 3% of new Bolsa Família grants[2] and suspended water-truck deliveries after the election[3].
19 Jul. 2019 · Jair Bolsonaro, in leaked audio
Of these ‘paraíba’ governors [a pejorative term for Northeasterners], the worst is the one from Maranhão. We shouldn’t have anything to do with that guy[4]
Jan. 2020 · Bolsa Família
Of 100,000 new Bolsa Família grants, the Northeast received 3%; the Southeast got 45.8% and the South, 29.3%[2].
23 Mar. 2020 · Supreme Court ruling
At the request of the Northeastern states, Justice Marco Aurélio suspended Bolsa Família cuts during the public calamity and ordered equal treatment for the region’s registrants[5].
5 Oct. 2022 · Jair Bolsonaro, in a livestream
Lula won in 9 of the 10 states with the highest illiteracy rate. Do you know which states those are? In our Northeast[6]
Nov. 2022 · Operation Carro-Pipa
After the election, the operation was suspended for lack of budget. According to the Federal Public Defender’s Office (DPU), the suspension hit 425 Northeastern municipalities and more than 1.6 million people[3].
15 Dec. 2023 · Tax reform, automaker incentives
Nikolas Ferreira votes No on keeping incentives for vehicle factories in the North, Northeast and Center-West, kept 341 to 153[7].
28 Jul. 2025 · Hunger Map
Brazil left the FAO Hunger Map on the 2022–2024 three-year average, after returning to it in 2018–2020[8].
2023 to 2024 · IBGE
Poverty in the Northeast fell from 47.2% of the population in 2023[9] to 39.4% in 2024[10].
2025 · Cisterns Program
48,900 cisterns were delivered in 2025, more than seven times the 6,700 of 2022[11].
2 Feb. 2026 · The Chamber passes Gás do Povo
Nikolas Ferreira is among the 29 votes against the provisional measure creating free gas-cylinder pick-up for CadÚnico families[12].
Oct. 20, 2026 · Nikolas Ferreira’s video
When it’s time to vote, don’t forget who forgot you[1]
Statements and decisions with dates and sources. The timeline does not compare total budgets, nor does it say the region’s problems are solved.
The video
The complaints are real
The video, filmed in Luís Eduardo Magalhães (Bahia), according to the deputy’s press office, shows Northeasterners saying “chega” (enough)[1]. The complaints deserve an answer. The Northeast is still Brazil’s poorest region: 39.4% of its population in 2024[10]. The answer is in the record of who governed.
2019–2022
What the government did
In leaked audio, Jair Bolsonaro referred to the Northeast’s governors as “paraíba”, a term Metrópoles describes as pejorative for Northeasterners. His target was Flávio Dino[4]. In January 2020, the Northeast got 3% of new Bolsa Família grants[2].
In 2022, in a livestream, he linked Lula’s win in the Northeast to illiteracy and blamed PT governments: “Wherever the left goes in, it brings illiteracy, it brings lack of culture, it brings unemployment, it brings lack of hope”[6].
Drought
Water cut after the election
In November 2022, after the election, Operation Carro-Pipa (water trucks) was suspended for lack of budget. According to the DPU, this hit 425 Northeastern municipalities and more than 1.6 million people[3]. The ministry asked for R$ 85 million and got R$ 21.4 million[3].
In 2025, the Cisterns Program delivered 48,900 cisterns, more than seven times the 6,700 of 2022[11].
On the floor
How Nikolas voted
On 15/12/2023, in the tax reform, the Chamber kept, 341 to 153, incentives until 2032 for automakers in the North, Northeast and Center-West, such as Stellantis in Goiana (Pernambuco) and BYD in Bahia[13]. Nikolas Ferreira voted No, to remove the incentive. The PL let its deputies vote freely, and the party voted 48 to 41 to keep it[7].
On 02/02/2026, the Gás do Povo provisional measure (medida provisória) passed 415 to 29. It creates free pick-up of the 13 kg gas cylinder for CadÚnico families, alongside the cash payment[14]. Nikolas voted No; the PL let its deputies vote freely, and 55 of them voted Yes[12]. His reason: “Before, the aid went straight into the mother’s account. She decided where to buy”[15].
Since 2023
What came back
Poverty in the Northeast fell 7.8 percentage points, from 47.2% in 2023[9] to 39.4% in 2024[10]. Brazil left the Hunger Map on the 2022–2024 three-year average[8]. The government announced 100 new federal institute campuses by 2026, 38 of them in the Northeast[16].
Flávio Bolsonaro, the PL candidate, is the son of the former president who governed from 2019 to 2022. When it’s time to vote, remember who forgot.
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References16 sources
- 01O Tempo · Nikolas Ferreira publica vídeo ‘mais importante de sua vida’ com nordestinos que criticam LulaNikolas Ferreira’s Instagram video, where it was filmed according to his press office, the “chega” (enough) and the closing line.(opens in a new tab)
- 02Poder360 · Nordeste obtém apenas 3% de novas concessões do Bolsa FamíliaIn January 2020, the Northeast had 3% of the 100,000 new grants; the Southeast, 45.8%; the South, 29.3%.(opens in a new tab)
- 03Brasil de Fato · Defensoria aciona União por retirada de carro-pipa que afeta 1,6 milhão de pessoas no NordesteSuspension in November 2022 for lack of budget; 425 municipalities and 1.6 million people, according to the DPU; R$ 85 million requested and R$ 21.4 million released.(opens in a new tab)
- 04Metrópoles · “Dos governadores de ‘paraíba’, o pior é o do Maranhão”, diz BolsonaroBolsonaro’s words in the leaked audio, the target (Flávio Dino) and the term described as pejorative.(opens in a new tab)
- 05O Povo · Marco Aurélio suspende cortes no Bolsa Família até fim da calamidade públicaThe Supreme Court ruling requested by the Northeastern states, ordering equal treatment for the region’s registrants.(opens in a new tab)
- 06O Povo · Bolsonaro relaciona analfabetismo à vitória de Lula no Nordeste e culpa governos do PTBolsonaro’s words in the livestream of 5 October 2022.(opens in a new tab)
- 07Câmara dos Deputados · Votação nominal 259094-176: PEC 45/2019, destaque sobre o regime automotivo (15/12/2023)Nikolas Ferreira voted No; the PL let its deputies vote freely: 48 Yes, 41 No, 2 abstentions.(opens in a new tab)
- 08SBT News · Brasil sai novamente do Mapa da Fome da ONUExit from the Hunger Map on the 2022–2024 three-year average, after the return in 2018–2020.(opens in a new tab)
- 09Congresso em Foco · Pobreza e extrema pobreza atingem menor nível no país desde 2012, aponta IBGEIBGE: 47.2% of the Northeast’s population was poor in 2023.(opens in a new tab)
- 10Metrópoles · IBGE: mais de 8,6 milhões deixam pobreza, em melhor número desde 2012IBGE: 39.4% of the Northeast’s population was poor in 2024, on the US$ 6.85-a-day line.(opens in a new tab)
- 11TVT News, com informações do MDS · Programa Cisternas supera 100 mil entregas desde 2023, 88% no Nordeste48,900 cisterns delivered in 2025 and 6,700 in 2022.(opens in a new tab)
- 12Câmara dos Deputados · Votação nominal 2557414-32: MP 1.313/2025, Gás do Povo (02/02/2026)Nikolas Ferreira voted No; the PL let its deputies vote freely: 55 Yes, 19 No, 1 abstention.(opens in a new tab)
- 13Poder360 · Câmara mantém incentivos para o setor automobilístico no NordesteIncentives for automakers in the North, Northeast and Center-West kept until 2032, 341 to 153; Stellantis and BYD.(opens in a new tab)
- 14Poder360 · Câmara aprova Gás do Povo e incentivos ao GLP na indústriaProvisional measure passed 415 to 29; free gas-cylinder pick-up for CadÚnico families, alongside the cash payment.(opens in a new tab)
- 15Super Rádio Tupi, com Correio Braziliense · Nikolas Ferreira: “Óbvio que votei contra o Gás do Povo”Nikolas Ferreira’s reason for voting against Gás do Povo.(opens in a new tab)
- 16SBT News · Governo Lula anuncia criação de 100 novos institutos federais até 2026Announcement of 100 new campuses by 2026, 38 of them in the Northeast.(opens in a new tab)