By Abiola Olawale
President Bola Ahmed Tinubu on Thursday announced the approval of the National Construction and Household Support Programme.
Tinubu made this announcement during the National Economic Council meeting on Thursday in Abuja.
Under the National Construction and Household Support Programme, Tinubu ordered the purchase and sale of foodstuff worth ₦155 billion.
The program also includes financial allocations and infrastructure projects across all geo-political zones in the country.
This was revealed in a statement issued by presidential spokesman, Mr Ajuri Ngelale.
According to Ngelale, the programme is part of the Renewed Hope agenda, aimed at boosting agricultural productivity, strengthening the economy, and providing immediate economic relief for Nigerian households.
Ngelale also disclosed that a key component of the programme is the approval of the sum of N50,000 uplift grant to be distributed to 100,000 families per state for three months.
He disclosed that the programme will also cater for infrastructure projects, including the Sokoto-Badagry Highway, which will traverse seven states and is considered key for agricultural sustainability. He added that the states along this axis form the food belt of the nation.
Other infrastructure initiatives, according to him, include the ongoing Lagos-Calabar Coastal Highway and the Trans-Saharan Highway. Tinubu also approved full counterpart financing for the Port Harcourt-Maiduguri Railway and the Ibadan-Abuja segment of the Lagos-Kano Standard-Gauge Railway.
In addition to thesecprojects, Ngelale said the NEC approved the allocation of N10 billion to each state and the Federal Capital Territory for the procurement of buses and implementation of the Compressed natural gas uplift programme.
During the NEC meeting, Tinubu urged state governors to collaborate in meeting the needs of citizens and boosting food production in the country.
Tinubu was quoted 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 mechanization 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.”
Since the announcement, Nigerians have begun to take to social media to express their views. Below are some reactions curated from social media:
“These guys have no new idea. This is just another form of trader money. They have no concrete steps on how to get out of this mess. This money, as usual, will be stolen and barely reach the vulnerable people in society. If you doubt me, go out in your vicinity and ask 10 poor people to see if they receive this money from the government.”(@donchia)
“Does this man have any concrete, coherent, short-, mid-, or long-term plan to get us out of this mess? What is all this, wake up one morning and decide to do this or do that?
Exactly what is the plan Mr President? Show us the roadmap you are taking so we can at least see the destination and fix our mind to surviving until we get there.
Jeez. What a government!”(truebennyøø1)
“What is the criteria for doing this?
Why can’t they channel the money to the root of the problem so that everyone will benefit such as:
1. Making the refineries start working immediately
2. Reversal of the hike in electricity tariff
3. Timely introduction of CNG buses to states”(@STEVENTAIWO1)
“The sooner our government realizes that distribution of palliative will only complicate things economically, the better for our economy. You don’t fight poverty by giving handouts.”(@OnoviranO)
