President Bola Tinubu has approved the immediate rollout of the National Construction and Household Support Programme which aims to enhance agricultural productivity, strengthen the economy through opportunities in agriculture, manufacturing, construction, and provide urgent economic relief for Nigerians.
This comprehensive programme will cover all geopolitical zones in the country. A key component of the programme is the prioritization of the Sokoto-Badagry Highway, which will traverse Sokoto, Kebbi, Niger, Kwara, Oyo, Ogun, and Lagos. Other significant road infrastructure projects include the ongoing Lagos-Calabar Coastal Highway and the Trans-Saharan Highway, linking Enugu, Abakaliki, Ogoja, Benue, Kogi, Nasarawa, and Abuja.
President Tinubu has also approved full counterpart financing for the Port Harcourt-Maiduguri Railway, which will pass through Rivers, Abia, Enugu, Benue, Nasarawa, Plateau, Bauchi, Gombe, Yobe, and Borno.
Additionally, the Ibadan-Abuja segment of the Lagos-Kano Standard-Gauge Railway will receive funding, covering Lagos, Ogun, Oyo, Osun, Kwara, Niger, Abuja, Kaduna, and Kano.
The Sokoto-Badagry Highway is prioritized for its strategic importance to the nation’s agricultural sustainability. This corridor includes 216 agricultural communities, 58 large and medium dams, seven Special Agro-Industrial Processing Zones (SAPZs), 156 local government areas, 39 commercial cities and towns, and over 1 million hectares of arable land.
The programme includes a one-off allocation to states and the Federal Capital Territory of N10 billion for the procurement of buses and the CNG uplift programme, and the delivery of a N50,000 uplift grant to 100,000 families per state for three months. It also provides for labor unions and civil society organizations, and the deployment of N155 billion for the purchase and sale of assorted foodstuffs to be distributed nationwide.
Speaking during the National Economic Council (NEC) meeting in Abuja, President Tinubu urged state governors to collaborate in meeting the needs of citizens, emphasizing his readiness to provide necessary support.
He stressed the importance of boosting food production and highlighted the pivotal role of the Sokoto-Badagry Highway in connecting the nation’s food belt with key export routes.
“Our states must work together to deliver on the critical reforms required to meet the needs of our people. Time is humanity’s most precious asset. It is getting late. We are ready and able to support you in mechanizing your agricultural processes and providing high-quality seedlings.
“We are prepared to provide solar-powered irrigation facilities to support our farmers across seasons. We must now produce the food our people eat, and this will require coordination and intentionality among members of the National Economic Council (NEC). There is nothing more important than producing high-quality food for our people to consume, buy, and sell. We create jobs in the production of it and generate wealth by exporting the excess. It is not beyond us to achieve this for Nigerians,” President Tinubu said.
