The Minister of Information and National Orientation, Mohammed Idris, says the Renewed Hope Agenda of President Bola Ahmed Tinubu is a practical framework for national transformation, built on real and measurable opportunities for prosperity across all sectors of the Nigerian economy.
He was speaking in Minna, Niger State, at the Conference of Commissioners for Information in APC States, organised by the Progressive Governors’ Forum,where the Minister underscored the comprehensive nature of the administration’s development drive.
“The Renewed Hope Agenda goes beyond macroeconomic reforms,” Idris said. “It is about creating concrete opportunities for prosperity across sectors – for individuals, families, and for communities.”
He however explained that from massive infrastructure investments to youth empowerment programmes and reforms in agriculture, energy, education, and innovation, the Tinubu administration is delivering a broad-based plan for inclusive growth and national renewal.
While highlighting the government’s reform efforts, the Minister referenced the removal of the fuel subsidy as a pivotal policy shift. “One of the boldest and most consequential decisions of this administration, which is the removal of the fuel subsidy, was a painful but necessary reform, beyond saving the economy from fiscal collapse, this decision has significantly blocked areas of leakage and wastages in our economy,” he said.
Mohammed Idris explained that the gains from such bold decisions are now funding transformative infrastructure projects like the Lagos-Calabar Coastal Superhighway, Sokoto-Badagry Superhighway, Kaduna-Kano Standard Gauge Railway, and the Abuja-Kaduna-Kano Expressway.
Additionally, he said, there is a steady investment in the provision of social services in the country and a marked increase in monthly allocations to state governments, which is enabling them to embark on projects that are already having transformative impacts across sectors at the state and local government levels.
He further disclosed that over 900,000 small businesses have already benefited from the Presidential Conditional Grant and Loan Scheme, while over 350,000 students are currently benefitting from the Students’ Loan Scheme, ensuring no young Nigerian is left behind due to financial constraints.
Idris stated that the Federal Government has so far committed approximately ₦70 billion to the Students Loan Scheme, with over 600,000 applications submitted by students seeking to benefit from the initiative.
Declaring the conference opened Niger state Governor Mohammed Umar Bago said the theme of the conference is both timely and i instructive in their present context Government is not only measured by policies enacted or infrastructure built but how effectively those actions are conveyed to the people they served.
Represented by the Secretary to the Niger state Government Usman Abubakar, Governor Bago said in Niger state they are building a New Niger, a development vision driven by bold reforms in agriculture, digitization, urban renewal and youth empowerment in addition to deliberate investment in narrative management for Niger lites to understand own it and sustain it as well.
In her welcome address, Niger state Commissioner of Information and Strategy, Binta Mamman explained that in Niger state under the visionary leadership of Governor Umar Bago, they are using communication as a tool for development, accountability and mobilisation for the delivery of the New Niger Agenda, in which according to had already started yielding positive results.
END ALIYU LAWAL.
