Minister of Information and National Orientation, Mohammed Idris, says the economic reforms, infrastructure investments and security measures of President Bola Ahmed Tinubu’s administration are laying the foundation for sustainable economic growth in Nigeria’s North-Central region.
Idris made the statement on Monday in Abuja at the inaugural North-Central Development Stakeholders’ Summit, organised by the North Central Development Commission (NCDC).
The minister said the region’s agricultural resources, mineral deposits and energy potential provide opportunities for industrial development, investment and job creation.
He highlighted ongoing federal infrastructure projects in the region, including the Buruku-Logo Bridge and Makurdi-Gboko Road in Benue State, the expansion of the Mararaba-Keffi Road, and the Calabar-Ebonyi-Benue-Nasarawa-Abuja highway corridor.
According to Idris, the projects are intended not only to improve transportation but also to connect agricultural production areas with markets, reduce transportation costs and facilitate trade and investment.
He also cited the $250 million Diamond New Energy lithium mining and processing project in Nasarawa State as an example of efforts to move the country from exporting raw minerals towards local processing, industrial development and value addition.
Idris said the administration’s Renewed Hope Agenda for the North-Central region seeks to link agriculture with agro-processing, minerals with industry, energy with industrial production, skills with employment, and infrastructure with markets.
On security, the minister said the Federal Government was strengthening the armed forces and police through additional recruitment, improved equipment, technology, intelligence gathering and greater inter-agency collaboration.
He also pointed to the reported rescue of 308 abducted Nigerians in Niger and Kwara states in August as an indication of improved intelligence-led security operations.
Idris expressed support for the establishment of state police, saying a properly regulated system with appropriate safeguards for professionalism and accountability could bring policing closer to communities while complementing federal security institutions.
He challenged the NCDC to translate its 20-year development vision into measurable projects and outcomes, stressing that progress should be assessed by improvements in security, agricultural productivity, infrastructure, industrial activity, business growth, youth employment and household welfare.
Representing President Tinubu at the summit, Secretary to the Government of the Federation, Senator George Akume, urged the NCDC to prioritise projects capable of producing tangible improvements and reducing development gaps across the region.
Akume said development planning should be focused on measurable benefits to communities rather than the production of reports and policy documents without implementation.
The Managing Director and Chief Executive Officer of the NCDC, Dr Cyril Tsenyil, said the summit was aimed at moving the region from separate state-level development efforts towards an integrated regional economy driven by infrastructure, investment and inclusive development.
He said the central challenge was to convert the region’s resources and opportunities into productive assets, competitive businesses, quality employment and measurable improvements in the lives of residents.
The summit brought together stakeholders to discuss strategies for accelerating coordinated development across Nigeria’s North-Central region.
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