Tinubu’s Renewed Hope Agenda now touching lives – Minister

Nigerian Minister of Information and National Orientation, Mohammed Idris, has reaffirmed that the President, Bola Ahmed Tinubu’s Renewed Hope Agenda is not just a slogan but a reality that is already touching lives and will continue to do so in the years ahead.

Speaking at a press conference to mark Nigeria’s 65th Independence Anniversary in Abuja, on Monday, the Minister said the Independence theme, “All Hands on Deck,” is a clarion call to all Nigerians and their partners around the world to show understanding and support the landmark reforms of the President.

According to the statement released by his aide, Idris said 1st Oct represents a milestone that calls Nigerians to take stock of their journey in nationhood, weigh the present, and rally around a renewed purpose centred on repositioning the nation for a greater future.
Highlighting the administration’s achievements so far, Idris said, trade surpluses were expanding with more contributions from the non-oil sector, while inflation and food prices were on the decline. External reserves, he added, were also growing, all of which were “eloquent testimony that we are on the right track.”

The Minister stated that more than 500,000 students of tertiary institutions were already benefitting from the National Education Loan Fund, in which tuition and upkeep fees were paid for by the Federal Government, describing it as unprecedented in Nigeria’s history.

He further told journalists that the government had established five new regional development commissions under a new Federal Ministry of Regional Development to drive people-centred grassroots development.
Idris noted that the administration was “in the middle of a road and transport infrastructure revolution,” with flagship projects like the 1,068-kilometre Sokoto –Badagry Superhighway and the 750- kilometre Lagos–Calabar Coastal Highway.

He also mentioned the ongoing rehabilitation of the Eastern rail corridor from Port Harcourt to Maiduguri and the Kano–Kaduna Standard Gauge Rail. In the energy sector, adding that the govt had revived the 255MW Kaduna Power Plant and was on course with the Siemens-backed Presidential Power Initiative.

He added that under the Presidential Metering Initiative, seven million smart meters would be delivered by 2027 to close the country’s metering gap, adding, “In oil and gas, the progress is equally unprecedented.
“We have seen a steady increase in oil production to meet our OPEC quota, and an equally steady reduction in oil losses to a 16-year low. Gas flaring is also at an all-time low, while new investments are flooding in to scale up gas exploration, processing, and distribution. New investments in deepwater oil and gas exploration have exceeded five billion dollars.

“We are advancing the AKK Gas Project and other critical gas pipelines, while frontier basin oil and gas exploration has resumed with the drilling of three oil wells in the Kolmani region of Bauchi and Gombe States,” he said.

According to him, the solid minerals sector is rising with investments such as the $50 million ASBA Lithium Plant in the FCT and the $600 million Avatar Lithium Plant in Nasarawa, which are improving government royalties between 2023 and 2024.

The Minister also said the Bank of Agriculture, recently recapitalised to the tune of ₦1.5 trillion, is “the most significant boost to agricultural financing in Nigeria”.
He added that the establishment of the Ministry of Livestock Development is aimed at transforming the livestock sector into a sustainable and globally competitive industry.

He stressed that these achievements were not isolated but part of a comprehensive and equitable development plan.

“Contrary to the perception being pushed in some quarters,” the Minister said the administration has demonstrated uncommon commitment to a balanced and inclusive development since assuming office.”

Recalling Nigeria’s 65-year journey, the Minister stated that the nation had not only stood as a beacon of hope for its citizens but had also emerged as a rallying point for the entire Black race across the globe, embodying the spirit of unity, courage, and leadership.
He said Nigeria had played an audacious pioneering role in African liberation movements, led the creation of ECOWAS, and contributed to ECOMOG peacekeeping operations in Liberia and Sierra Leone, and was still providing technical assistance to dozens of countries.

On the democratic front, he said Nigeria had been a vanguard of constitutional governance on the continent, while on the global stage, it had made significant contributions to United Nations peace-keeping missions and recently agreed with the African Union to provide Strategic Sea Lift Services to support peacekeeping, disaster response, and humanitarian operations.

The press conference was attended by the Secretary to the Federal Government, Senator George Akume; Head of the Civil Service of the Federation, Didi Esther Walson-Jack; Minister of Regional Development, Engineer Abubakar Momoh.

Also, Minister of Women Affairs, Imaan Sulaiman-Ibrahim; Minister of Housing and Urban Development, Architect Ahmed Musa Dangiwa, and Senior Special Assistant to the President on Media and Special Duties, Mr Tunde Rahman.