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 first North Central Stakeholders’ Development Summit organised by the North Central Development Commission (NCDC).
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The summit was themed, “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 offer significant opportunities for industrialisation, investment and employment.
He highlighted several ongoing and approved federal infrastructure projects across the region, including the Buruku-Logo Bridge and Makurdi-Gboko Road in Benue State; the Mararaba-Keffi expansion; the Akwanga-Jos-Bauchi-Gombe-Biu-Maiduguri Superhighway; and the Calabar-Ebonyi-Benue-Nasarawa-Abuja Superhighway.
Others include 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 Federal Government’s policy of transitioning from raw mineral extraction to 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 the administration’s priority as Nigeria approaches 2027 is to translate the gains of economic reforms into increased production, job creation, lower costs, higher incomes and improved living standards.
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On security, the Minister said the Tinubu administration was strengthening the Armed Forces and Police through additional recruitment, improved equipment, technology and intelligence, enhanced inter-agency coordination and strategic partnerships, alongside the establishment of Forest Guards.
He cited the August rescue of 308 abducted Nigerians in Niger and Kwara States as evidence of improved intelligence-led collaboration among security agencies.
The Minister also expressed support for the establishment of State Police, saying a properly designed system with safeguards for professionalism and accountability would bring policing closer to communities and complement federal security agencies.
He challenged the NCDC to translate the summit’s 20-year vision into measurable development outcomes.
“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,” Idris said.
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 tangible and transformative projects in infrastructure, transportation, industrialisation, security, human capital, education and health 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.
In his opening remarks, the Managing Director and Chief Executive Officer of the NCDC, Dr Cyril Tsenyil, said the summit was intended 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.
Tsenyil said the Commission would focus on identifying development constraints, mobilising resources and partnerships, coordinating development efforts and monitoring implementation.
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He identified agriculture and agro-processing, minerals, infrastructure, digital connectivity, small and medium-sized enterprises and regional economic corridors as key areas of focus.
“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.