Tinubu’s Reforms, Infrastructure Projects Will Drive North Central Growth, Says Minister of Information
Tinubu’s Reforms, Infrastructure Projects Will Drive North Central Growth, Says Minister of Information
Tinubu’s Reforms, Infrastructure Projects Will Drive North Central Growth, Says Minister of Information
The Minister of Information and National Orientation, Mohammed Idris, has said the economic reforms, infrastructure investments and security initiatives of President Bola Ahmed Tinubu’s administration are creating a stronger foundation for accelerated growth and prosperity in the North Central region.
Idris stated this on Monday in Abuja at the North Central Stakeholders’ Development Summit, organised by the North Central Development Commission (NCDC) with the theme, “The Great Leap Forward: A 20-Year Economic, Infrastructural and Social Development Plan for the North Central Region.”
The Minister said the region’s vast agricultural land, solid mineral deposits, energy resources and strategic location present significant opportunities for industrialisation, investment and job creation.
He highlighted several ongoing and approved Federal Government infrastructure projects across the region, including the Buruku-Logo Bridge and Makurdi-Gboko Road in Benue State; Mararaba-Keffi expansion and the Akwanga-Jos-Bauchi-Gombe-Biu-Maiduguri Superhighway; the Calabar-Ebonyi-Benue-Nasarawa-Abuja Superhighway; the rehabilitated Gwada-Shiroro Road; and the approved completion of the 71-kilometre Minna-Suleja Road in Niger State.
“These are not simply roads and bridges; they are economic infrastructure connecting farms to markets, reducing transportation costs and creating opportunities for trade and investment,” Idris said.
He also cited the recently commissioned $250 million Diamond New Energy lithium mining and processing facility in Nasarawa State as an example of the administration’s efforts to move Nigeria beyond raw mineral extraction towards processing, industrialisation and value addition.
According to him, the Federal Government is also expanding agricultural mechanisation, irrigation, financing, storage and processing to position the North Central as a major agricultural and agro-industrial hub.
“For the North Central, Renewed Hope means connecting agriculture to agro-processing, minerals to manufacturing, energy to industry, skills to employment and infrastructure to markets,” he said.
Idris said that as Nigeria approaches 2027, the administration’s focus would be to translate the gains of its economic reforms into increased production, job creation, lower costs, higher incomes and improved living standards.
Idris Highlights Security Measures
On security, the Minister said President Tinubu was strengthening the Armed Forces and Police through additional recruitment, improved equipment and technology, intelligence gathering, stronger inter-agency coordination and strategic partnerships, alongside the establishment of Forest Guards.
He cited the rescue of 308 abducted Nigerians in Niger and Kwara States in August as evidence of improved intelligence-led cooperation among security agencies.
Idris also expressed support for the establishment of State Police, saying a properly designed system with strong safeguards for professionalism and accountability would bring policing closer to communities while complementing the efforts of federal security agencies.
He urged the NCDC to translate its 20-year development vision into measurable outcomes that would have a direct impact on the people of the region.
“The ‘Great Leap Forward’ should ultimately be measured not by meetings held or documents produced, but by safer communities, productive farms, better infrastructure, new industries, expanding businesses, jobs for our young people and rising household prosperity,” he said.
Akume Tasks NCDC on Transformative Projects
Earlier, the Secretary to the Government of the Federation, Senator George Akume, who represented President Tinubu at the summit, said the establishment of regional development commissions was aimed at accelerating development by addressing regional gaps and unlocking the potential of different parts of the country.
Akume urged the NCDC to pursue well-planned and transformative projects in infrastructure, transportation, industrialisation, security, human capital, education and healthcare while leveraging public-private partnerships and development financing.
“Development must be about the people and not on paper. This Summit should not end up as one of those platforms where ideas are ventilated and reports generated only to be left gathering dust on the shelves,” he said.
The Managing Director/Chief Executive Officer of the NCDC, Dr Cyril Tsenyil, FCNA, said the summit was designed to mark a turning point in the region’s development by moving the North Central from fragmented state-level initiatives towards a coordinated regional economy built around shared infrastructure, investment and prosperity.
Tsenyil said the Commission would focus on identifying development constraints, mobilising resources and partnerships, coordinating projects and monitoring implementation, with emphasis on agriculture and agro-processing, minerals, infrastructure, digital connectivity, SMEs and regional economic corridors.
“The real question is: How do we convert this potential into productive assets, competitive businesses, quality jobs, and measurable improvements in the lives of our people? That is the challenge of this Summit, and this is why the North Central Development Commission exists,” he said.
The summit was attended by Nasarawa State Governor Abdullahi A. Sule, Deputy Governors of Benue, Kogi and Niger States, the Minister of Regional Development, Abubakar Momoh, Minister of State for Regional Development, Uba Maigari Ahmadu, former Military Governor of Kwara and Kano States, AVM Mohammed Ndatsu Umaru (rtd.), Chairman of the NCDC Governing Board, Barrister Cosmas Akighir, and other government officials and stakeholders.
Tinubu’s Reforms, Infrastructure Projects Will Drive North Central Growth, Says Minister of Information
