President Bola Tinubu has approved the immediate implementation of the National Construction and Household Support Programme across all geo-political zones in Nigeria. The program aims to enhance agricultural productivity, stimulate economic growth in sectors like agriculture, manufacturing, and construction, and provide much-needed relief to Nigerians.
Infrastructure and Agricultural Prioritization
The Sokoto-Badagry Highway, spanning Sokoto, Kebbi, Niger, Kwara, Oyo, Ogun, and Lagos, receives top priority. The Sokoto-Badagry road project assumes special significance due to its impact on agricultural communities. States within this corridor also play a crucial role in ensuring food security.
The corridor encompasses 216 agricultural communities, 58 large and medium dams, 7 Special Agro-Industrial Processing Zones (SAPZs), 156 local government areas, 39 commercial cities, and over 1 million hectares of arable land.
Other critical road projects include the Lagos-Calabar Coastal Highway and the Trans-Saharan Highway, connecting Enugu, Abakaliki, Ogoja, Benue, Kogi, Nasarawa, and Abuja.
Full counterpart financing is approved for the Port Harcourt-Maiduguri Railway (Rivers, Abia, Enugu, Benue, Nasarawa, Plateau, Bauchi, Gombe, Yobe, and Borno) and the Ibadan-Abuja segment of the Lagos-Kano Standard-Gauge Railway (Lagos, Ogun, Oyo, Osun, Kwara, Niger, Abuja, Kaduna, and Kano).
Additional Measures
– N10 billion one-off allocation for bus procurement and the CNG uplift programme.
– N50,000 uplift grant per month for three months to 100,000 families in each state.
– Provision for labor unions and civil society organizations.
– Deployment of N155 billion for purchasing and distributing assorted foodstuff nationwide.
Speaking during the National Economic Council (NEC) meeting on Thursday in Abuja, President Tinubu urged state governors to work together to meet the needs of citizens, stating that he is willing to provide the needed support to ensure that Nigerians are relieved of hardship.
“Our states must work together to deliver on the critical reforms required of us to meet the needs of our people. Time is humanity’s most precious asset. You can never have enough of it. It is getting late.
“We are ready and able to support you in the form of the mechanization of your agricultural processes and the provision of high-quality seedlings.
“We are prepared to provide solar powered irrigation facilities to support our farmers across seasons, but we must now produce. We must produce the food our people eat, and it will require coordination and intentionality between members of the National Economic Council (NEC).
“There is nothing we are doing that is more important than producing high-quality food for our people to consume, buy, and sell. We create jobs in the production of it. And that is before we generate wealth by exporting the excess. It is not beyond us to achieve this for Nigerians.
“How much support do you need from me and in what form? I am prepared to provide it. But we must achieve the result. We must deliver on our targets at all levels. Please report back following
