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Tinubu Promises Boost In Infrastructure Development
President Bola Tinubu said more funds would be committed to infrastructure development and urged governors to collaborate with the federal government to align building approvals.
The President, who commissioned the Lekki Deep Sea Port Access Road at the Dangote Refinery and Petrochemical Plant on Thursday in Lagos, said proper approval alignment between subnational and federal governments will facilitate the construction of major roads and bridges across the country.
“I have directed the Minister of Works, David Umahi, and the Surveyor General of the federation to work more closely with the governors,” the President said.
President Tinubu said aligning state approvals with the Federal Government will reduce the burden of compensation and delays in actualising people-oriented projects.
“Please, my dear governors, let’s work together. Don’t give planning approvals without collaboration with the Surveyor General and the Ministry of Works. I am appealing to you to realise the same development goal.
” Let me emphasise the ban by the Federal Government of Nigeria on any dredging within a 10km radius of all our Bridges nationwide. I appeal to all governors, relevant agencies, and security agencies to implement this ban immediately”, President Tinubu said.
The ceremony came five days after the President commissioned Phase 1 of Section One of the Lagos-Calabar Coastal Highway, also in Lagos.
He commended the Federal Ministry of Works, Messrs Hitech Construction Company Limited, Messrs Dangote Industries Limited, BUA and all contractors involved in the country’s road development. He said his administration is committed to building enduring infrastructure nationwide.
He dismissed critics of the government’s legacy projects for being ignorant about how the government awarded the legacy roads to contractors.
“It is necessary to note that the Federal Executive Council approved our Legacy Projects to be procured, awarded and constructed in sections. The completed 30 km segment of the Lagos-Calabar Coastal Highway is part of the 47.7 km, six-lane Section I contract, not a wholesale 750 km contract, as some have suggested. No contractor has been awarded the entire corridor.
“Our approach has been systematic, transparent, and section-based. The Sokoto-Badagry Superhighway envisioned 47 years ago under the Shagari administration, is another legacy project we have revived. This corridor – spanning Sokoto, Kebbi, Niger, Kwara, Oyo, Ogun, and Lagos -holds immense potential for agriculture, trade, and industrialisation.
“It connects over 58 dams, vast arable farmlands, and trade routes to our West African neighbours and offers great promise for windmill energy generation. Construction is well underway. In Kebbi, we have completed over 10 km of the 258 km three-lane carriageway, and today we flag off the second carriageway. This section is the longest in all our Legacy Projects.
“In Sokoto, work has begun on the 120 km 2single-carriageway by three lanes from Illela. I understand that over 10km of this project is already completed. Today, we shall be flagging off the second carriageway of 120km with three lanes.
“Work is also at an advanced stage in this section. More sections are being designed for procurement and award within the whole length of the Sokoto-Badagry Superhighway. On my way here, I witnessed significant progress at Section II of the Lagos-Calabar Coastal Highway, with over 10 km of the 55 km stretch already completed.
“I am also pleased to report ongoing works in the Cross River and Akwa Ibom sections and have directed that more segments be designed and procured. The Trans-Sahara Trade Route, another visionary project, is advancing steadily. It will connect Calabar to Abuja via Ebonyi, Benue, Kogi, and Nasarawa,” he said.
President Tinubu said he had directed accelerated design on the 4th Legacy Project of the Akwanga-Jos-Bauchi and Gombe corridor to enable procurement to start.
“Let me assure you that with God on our side, we shall complete these projects and deploy them for the economic benefit of our nation”.
Other projects commissioned by the President include Yakasai to Zalli Road, Kano State (CCECC), Shendam Bridge, Plateau State (Triacta), Kwanar-Hadejia Section II (82km), Kano/Jigawa States (CCECC), Jimeta Bridge, Adamawa State (Triacta), Ilobu-Erinle Road, Kwara/Osun States (IAC) and Cham-Numan Bridge, Adamawa State (CGC).
President Tinubu flagged off the following projects for construction: Section I Phase IB-120km of Sokoto-Badagry Superhighway in Sokoto State; construction of Section II Phase 2 B-258 km of Sokoto-Badagry Superhighway in Kebbi State; construction of Lagos–Calabar Coastal Highway (Section II)-55km in Lagos to Ogun State Border; rehabilitation of Zaria-Hunkuyi to Daya Road (Sections I, II & III) 152.67km in Kaduna/Kano States and reconstruction of Dikwa – Gamboru – Ngala Road – 49.55km in Borno State.
Also flagged off was the completion of the dualisation of the Kano – Maiduguri Road linking Kano – Jigawa – Bauchi – Yobe and Borno States; 100.95km, construction of Maiduguri Ring Road – 108km, construction of Kano Northern Bypass Road in Kano State, – 74km; construction of 7th Axial Road at Lekki Deep Sea Port, Lagos State to Ijebu-Ode, Ogun State– 25km by 6-lane and completion of rehabilitation of Lokoja – Benin road on rigid pavement.
Other roads are the dualisation of Oyo—Ogbomoso Road in Oyo State, 104km; the dualisation of Kano—Daura—Kongolam in Kano, Jigawa, and Katsina States, 264km –BUA Tax Credit; and the reconstruction of Bama–Banki Road in Borno State, 49.15 km Dangote Tax Credit.
The President thanked the “four wise men of the private sector”: Jim Ovia, Femi Otedola, Abdulsamad Rabiu, and Aliko Dangote, for contributing to Nigeria’s economy. He also commended the Minister of Works, Roland and Gilbert Chagoury, and Aigboje Aig-Imoukhuede.
The governors of Plateau, Abia, Enugu, Ogun, Borno, and Kaduna states attended the ceremony.
Speaking on behalf of the governors, the Governor of Kaduna State, Sen. Uba Sani, thanked the President for removing the subsidy, which had translated into increased allocations to the states for health, education, and infrastructure investments.
Sani assured the President of the sub-national collaboration to improve infrastructure nationwide.
President Tinubu thanked Alhaji Aliko Dangote for his interest in developing the country through continuous investments.
“Having inspected the Dangote refinery, which is a great point of reference, a great phenomenon of our time and a massive investment, I want to thank Aliko Dangote,” he stated. “I am happy that the Deep Sea Port I initiated as Governor of Lagos State is a huge success today. Users save vast amounts of money using this port because they no longer need to trans-ship their goods. I commend the quality of the access road done by Messrs Dangote Industries Limited on our Tax Credit Road programme and the subcontractor, Messrs Hitech Construction Company Limited.
The president of the Dangote Group, Aliko Dangote, thanked the President for envisioning and implementing the Lekki Deep Sea Port project and assured him of the private sector’s support for expanding infrastructure nationwide.
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President Bola Ahmed Tinubu has appointed Wasiu Olanrewaju-Smart as Special Adviser to the President on National Assembly Matters, House of Representatives.
Naija News reports that the appointment takes immediate effect, according to a statement issued on Sunday by the Special Adviser to the President on Information and Strategy, Bayo Onanuga.
Olanrewaju-Smart succeeds Ibrahim Olanrewaju, who resigned from the position to contest an elective office in his home state.
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“This appointment is with immediate effect,” Onanuga said in the statement titled, “President Tinubu Appoints Wasiu Olanrewaju-Smart as Special Adviser on National Assembly Matters – House of Representatives.”
The Presidency said the 40-year-old appointee brings extensive experience in legislative affairs and public policy to the position.
According to the statement, Olanrewaju-Smart holds a doctorate in Educational Management from Lead City University and a Master’s degree in Public Administration from Harvard University.
He was an Edward Mason Fellow in Public Policy at the Harvard Kennedy School and also holds a professional diploma in Public Relations from the London School of Public Relations.
The Presidency added that he was a LEAPS Fellow at the Massachusetts Institute of Technology and a Policy Fellow at Quantum Alliance AI in the United States, where his work focused on artificial intelligence and civic technology.
Olanrewaju-Smart has held several positions within the National Assembly over the years.
The statement read, “His National Assembly career spans Research and Media Assistant to the Minority/Majority Leader, House of Representatives (7th–8th Assemblies), to Special Adviser, Deputy Chief of Staff, and ultimately the Chief of Staff to the Speaker of the House of Representatives in the 9th and 10th Assemblies.”
The Presidency said his career trajectory provided him with experience in legislative research, administration and relations between lawmakers and the executive.
Olanrewaju-Smart joined the Presidency in October 2023 as Senior Special Assistant to the President on Intergovernmental Affairs.
He remained in the position until his latest appointment.
“Olanrewaju-Smart later joined the Presidency in October 2023 as Senior Special Assistant to the President on Intergovernmental Affairs, a position he held until this new appointment,” the statement said.
The Presidency added that his public policy research portfolio included contributions to several pieces of legislation.
“His public policy research portfolio includes work on several landmark legislations, such as the Interest-Free Student Loan Act, among others,” it added.
The Presidency said Tinubu was confident that Olanrewaju-Smart’s experience and knowledge would help deepen relations between the executive and the House of Representatives.
Five state governments have said they plan to transform their existing local security outfits into state police once the constitutional process is finalised, following the House of Representatives’ passage of an Executive Bill.
Legit reports that the House of Representatives passed the Executive Bill on state police during plenary session on Thursday, July 23, 2026.
The bill’s passage marked a major shift in Nigeria’s policing structure, with the House withdrawing its earlier constitutional amendment proposal in favour of the Executive Bill.
As reported by The Punch, while some states are waiting for the process to conclude before deciding on a structure, Ondo, Kaduna, Anambra, Zamfara, and Abia have all indicated they intend to build on what already exists rather than start from scratch.
Officials across the five states argued that their security outfits already have the personnel, community knowledge, and operational frameworks needed for a smooth handover.
They said building entirely new institutions would take longer and cost more, while the existing agencies had already established intelligence networks and local trust.
In Ondo State, the Special Adviser to Governor Lucky Aiyedatiwa on Strategic Communication, Allen Sowore, said the Amotekun Corps was well placed to make the transition
“The men and officers of the Amotekun Corps would also be well positioned for recruitment into the state police system. Their years of experience, knowledge of the local terrain, community relationships, and understanding of the security challenges confronting our people are invaluable assets that should not be discarded.”
The Governor’s Chief Press Secretary, Ebenezer Adeniyan, added that Amotekun’s current structure offered a ready implementation template. Kaduna’s Commissioner for Internal Security and Home Affairs, Sule Shu’aibu, told a training programme for personnel of the Kaduna State Vigilance Service (KADVIS) on Wednesday that the state was already upgrading the outfit to serve as the starting point for state police.
“When the Constitution is eventually reviewed, and state police become operational, where do we start from? You can rest assured it will start from here.”
A senior government official who spoke anonymously confirmed that the focus was on strengthening KADVIS rather than creating a new agency.
In Zamfara, Special Assistant to Governor Dauda Lawal on Media and Publicity, Mustafa Kaura, said the Civilian Protection Guards would be converted, given the experience its personnel had gained fighting insecurity in the state.
The Senior Special Adviser to Anambra Governor on Media, Dr Ejimofor Opara, said the state’s Agunechemba security outfit would be “rejigged to fulfil the mandate of the state police.”
Opara noted that the existing Anambra State Homeland Security Law already shared many features with the incoming legislation. Abia’s Commissioner for Information, Okey Kanu, said the state intended to merge its Homeland Security outfit and community vigilante groups into the new state police structure, with modalities to be worked out ahead of the take-off.
Islamic cleric Sheikh Ahmad Gumi has raised questions about why no Nigerian government official has engaged Boko Haram terrorists and bandits through direct negotiations, drawing a comparison with the high-level outreach that helped end Niger Delta militancy
Gumi made the argument in a Facebook post on Saturday, July 25, citing how former President Goodluck Jonathan and former Vice President Yemi Osinbajo personally entered the Niger Delta creeks to meet armed militants and returned with frameworks that reduced the violence.
“The former President Jonathan visited delta militants in the creeks, so also the former vice president Osinbajo. They all came up with a program to tame the militants.”
He then directed a pointed question at critics of such engagement in the North: “Who is going to visit BH and bandits to tame them without fools castigating them?”
He then directed a pointed question at critics of such engagement in the North: “Who is going to visit BH and bandits to tame them without fools castigating them?”
The retired soldier has spent years positioning himself as a mediator between the Nigerian state and armed groups operating in the North-West and North-East, making repeated visits to bandit camps in Zamfara and other states to hear their demands. His core argument has remained consistent — that negotiation ended Niger Delta militancy and should be tried in the North.
His interventions have not been without controversy. Some Nigerians accuse him of legitimising groups responsible for kidnappings, killings and cattle rustling, while others credit his work with securing the freedom of kidnap victims. Gumi has denied backing terrorism, saying his goal is to end bloodshed through dialogue and rehabilitation.
The amnesty programme that Gumi referenced was launched in 2009 under the late President Umaru Yar’Adua and continued under Jonathan. Thousands of militants were disarmed in exchange for training, monthly stipends and reintegration support, which significantly reduced attacks on oil infrastructure in
Jonathan’s first direct engagement with Niger Delta militants came in 2007, when he was serving as vice-president.
He entered the creeks in Warri, Delta State, without armed protection to meet ex-militant leader Government Ekpemupolo, known as Tompolo. Jonathan later said that the meeting laid the groundwork for the amnesty programme, which remains operational today.
Osinbajo undertook a similar mission in 2017, visiting Niger Delta communities as acting president and meeting directly with militants and traditional leaders.
He justified the visits by describing those in the creeks as citizens with genuine grievances rather than purely security threats.
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