Tinubu backing Sokoto–Badagry road project despite not being part of campaign promises - Bagudu

Tinubu backing Sokoto–Badagry road project despite not being part of campaign promises - Bagudu

 Atiku Bagudu, minister of budget and economic planning, says
President Bola Tinubu is advancing the long-delayed Sokoto–Badagry development
corridor project to boost economic activity, despite it not being part of his
original campaign promises.

 

Bagudu spoke on Tuesday at a technical session during the
ongoing Government-Citizens Engagement organised by the Sir Ahmadu Bello
Memorial Foundation at Arewa House in Kaduna.

 

The minister’s statement follows a recent claim by Rabiu
Kwankwaso, former governor of Kano, who accused the federal government of
concentrating resources in one part of the country while neglecting other
regions.

 

However, Bagudu said part of the current administration’s
goal is to ensure broader infrastructure investment aimed at driving inclusive
growth across Nigeria.

 

He cited the Sokoto-Badagry project, which he said was first
proposed during the third republic and part of former President Shehu Shagari’s
vision, as part of the projects that are now being revived

 

“President Tinubu believes that rebuilding Nigeria requires
difficult but necessary investments in infrastructure. These projects may not
be politically popular, but they are critical for long-term development,” he
said.

 

Bagudu acknowledged that Nigeria’s current economic
challenges are a result of inherited structural weaknesses, including a
dysfunctional foreign exchange market, unsustainable fiscal policies, and
declining external reserves.

 

“During our inauguration as cabinet members, President Bola
Ahmad Tinubu told us to imagine the work we were about to start as drawing
water from a dry well,” he said.

 

“We should understand that the situation we are in today is
a compounded effect of what we have inherited. Nigeria has fought two economic
recessions, drought, and COVID.”

 

According to the minister, the tough economic landscape led
to Tinubu’s creation of new ministries and structural reforms, including eight
institutional realignments to ensure more effective governance.

 

He said they included the establishment of the ministries of
budget and economic planning, livestock development, arts and creative economy,
marine and blue economy, and regional development.

 

“Government is a work in progress. Having stabilised the
economy, more attention shall be paid to generating higher inclusive growth by
mobilising all tiers of government, eliminating poverty by targeting all
geographical units of the country, and generating a $1 trillion economy by
2030,” Bagudu said.

 

‘TINUBU’S REFORMS HAVE INCREASED REVENUE FOR STATES’

Bagudu also pointed to the impact of petrol subsidy removal
on state finances, noting a significant decline in debt burdens.

 

“For example, Jigawa State’s debt profile in June 2023 stood
at N40 billion. By March 2025, it had dropped to N1 billion. This reduction has
created fiscal space for the state to borrow more responsibly if necessary,” he
said.

 

Bagudu added that he has “participated in key economic
decisions, driven by my belief in the potential of both Nigeria and the
northern region”.

 

The minister also said he had observed a lack of systemic
approaches to addressing marginalisation in northern Nigeria — an issue he
remains committed to tackling through economic strategy.

Source: Tinubu backing Sokoto–Badagry road project despite not being part of campaign promises - Bagudu

 - NigerianEye

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