By Margaret Oyinboade
The Honourable Minister of Information and National Orientation, Mohammed Idris, FNIPR, has reaffirmed President Bola Ahmed Tinubu’s commitment to national transformation, fiscal consolidation, and robust governance reforms. He made this statement recently in Abuja at the first edition of the 2025 Ministerial Press Briefing Series, a platform established to enhance government transparency and accountability.
Speaking at the briefing, the Minister highlighted the key achievements of this administration across various sectors, including fiscal reforms, targeted interventions, infrastructure development, security, and food security.
He further explained some of the key achievements of the Tinubu Administration, which include: Economic and Fiscal Reforms – fuel subsidy removal, saving Nigeria hundreds of billions of naira annually; foreign exchange reforms, including the introduction of the Electronic Foreign Exchange Matching System (EFEMS), leading to improved currency stability and increased foreign investments; increased investor confidence in the Nigerian economy, with foreign capital inflow into the Nigerian Stock Exchange rising from 4% in mid-2023 to 16% at the end of 2024; local government financial autonomy, backed by a landmark Supreme Court ruling in July 2024; and the Nigerian Stock Exchange (NGX) closing 2024 with an impressive 37.65% annual growth.
Targeted Interventions:
Student Loan Fund (NELFUND): Over N32.8 billion disbursed to 169,000 students to support education,
Healthcare: Approval of $1.07 billion from the World Bank under the HOPE program and introduction of targeted cancer treatment subsidies,
Compressed Natural Gas (CNG): Over $450 million invested, increasing the number of CNG conversion centers from 7 in 2023 to over 150 in 2024,
Passport Reforms: Clearance of over 200,000 passport backlogs within three weeks in 2024.
Infrastructure Development:
Approval of N2.5 trillion for road infrastructure projects, including the Lagos-Calabar Coastal Highway, the Second Niger Bridge access roads, and the Lagos-Ibadan Expressway,
Reactivation of the Port Harcourt and Warri refineries and progress on the Kano-Kaduna Standard Gauge Railway Line,
Security and Defence:
Over 8,000 terrorists and bandits neutralized in 2024, with 11,600 arrests and 10,000 recovered weapons,
Rescue of 8,000 kidnapped victims and the establishment of the Multi-Agency Anti-Kidnap Fusion Cell (MAAKFC) to combat kidnapping,
Declaration of the Lakurawa armed group as a terrorist organization and implementation of e-gates at international airports for enhanced security,
Food Security and Budget Priorities:
Establishment of the Ministry of Livestock Development to boost agricultural productivity,
Proposed N54.2 trillion national budget for 2025, prioritizing:
Security (N4.91 trillion, 9.88%), Infrastructure (N4.06 trillion, 8.17%),
Education (N3.52 trillion, 7.08%), Health (N2.48 trillion, 4.99%).
The Minister emphasized that the reforms are yielding tangible results, positioning Nigeria for sustainable growth and long-term prosperity. He called on Nigerians to support the government’s policies, stating that President Tinubu is committed to delivering on his promises and ensuring that “no one will be left behind.”
