To boost agricultural productivity and strengthen the economy through opportunities creation in real sectors such as agriculture, manufacturing, and construction, and provide much-needed economic relief to Nigerians, President Bola Tinubu has approved the immediate rollout of a Nation Building and Budget Support Programme, which should cover all geopolitical zones of the country.
Priority will be given to the program, which will see the Sokoto-Badagry Expressway passing through Sokoto, Kebbi, Niger, Kwara, Oyo, Ogun, and Lagos.
Other road infrastructure projects will also be prioritized, including the Lagos-Calabar coastal expressway, which is under construction, and the Trans-Saharan Expressway, which will link Enugu, Abakaliki, Ogoja, Benue, Kogi, Nasarawa, and Abuja.
The President also approved a full counterpart loan for the Port Harcourt-Maiduguri railway line. The Ibadan-Abuja section of the Lagos-Kano Standard Gauge Railway crosses the Abia, Enugu, Benue, Nasarawa, Plateau, Bauchi, Gombe, Yobe and Borno rivers and passes through Lagos, Ogun, Oyo, Osun, Kwara, Niger, Abuja, Kaduna and Kano.
The Sokoto-Badagry road project has been given special priority given its importance as some of the states it passes through are strategic to the agricultural sustainability of the country.
The Sokoto-Badagry Expressway corridor is home to 216 farming communities, 58 large and medium-sized dams in six states, seven Special Agro-Processing Zones (SAPZs), 156 local government areas, 39 commercial towns and communities, and over one million people.
In addition, the National Construction Budget Support Programme includes:
(1) A one-time allocation of N10 billion to the states and the National Capital Territory for bus procurement and CNG upgrading program.
(2) A three-month upgrade grant of N50,000 each to 100,000 households per state.
(3) Support to trade unions and civil society organizations.
(4) One hundred and fifty-five billion naira for the purchase and sale of various food commodities for distribution throughout the country.
