Tinubu approves national construction, household support programme rollout
- To prioritise food production
President Bola Tinubu has approved the immediate rollout of the National Construction and Household Support Programme to cover all geopolitical zones in the country.
According to a statement issued on Thursday by his spokesman, Ajuri Ngelale, the idea is to boost agricultural productivity, strengthen the economy by creating opportunities in the real sectors of agriculture, manufacturing, and construction, as well as provide urgent economic relief for Nigerians.
It informed us that under the programme, the Sokoto-Badagry Highway, which will traverse Sokoto, Kebbi, Niger, Kwara, Oyo, Ogun, and Lagos, will be prioritised.
“The Sokoto-Badagry road project is specially prioritised for its importance as some of the states it will traverse are strategic to the agricultural sustainability of the nation,” it said.
Also to be prioritised, according to the statement, are other road infrastructure projects, such as the Lagos-Calabar Coastal Highway, which is underway, and the Trans-Saharan Highway, which links Enugu, Abakaliki, Ogoja, Benue, Kogi, Nasarawa, and Abuja.
The statement added that the president has also approved full counterpart financing for the Port Harcourt-Maiduguri Railway, which will traverse Rivers, Abia, Enugu, Benue, Nasarawa, Plateau, Bauchi, Gombe, Yobe, and Borno, as well as the Ibadan-Abuja segment of the Lagos-Kano Standard-Gauge Railway, which will traverse Lagos, Ogun, Oyo, Osun, Kwara, Niger, Abuja, Kaduna, and Kano.
The statement further explained: “Within the Sokoto-Badagry Highway corridor, there are 216 agricultural communities, 58 large and medium dams spread across six states, seven Special Agro-Industrial Processing Zones (SAPZs), 156 local government areas, 39 commercial cities and towns, and over 1 million hectares of arable land.
“In addition, other items under the National Construction and Household Support Programme include a one-off allocation to states and the Federal Capital Territory of N10 billion for the procurement of buses and the CNG uplift programme.
“Delivery of N50,000 uplift grants each to 100,000 families per state for three months.
“Provision for labour unions and civil society organisations.
“Deployment of N155 billion for the purchase and sale of assorted foodstuffs to be distributed across the nation.”
The statement said that while speaking during the National Economic Council (NEC) meeting on Thursday, 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.
Emphasising the urgency of boosting food production, the president noted that the Sokoto-Badagry Highway is a pivotal project as the states within this axis form the food belt of the nation, with Badagry being an important artery for food export.
The statement quoted him as saying: “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 mechanisation 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 your consultations and submit to my office within seven days.”
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