Speech By Mohammed Idris At Enugu Town Hall Meeting, South East Citizens’ Engagement Tour
I am delighted to be in Enugu, the historic heart of the South-East, for this important town hall meeting. I thank His Excellency, Governor Peter Mbah, and his cabinet for their warm hospitality.
This engagement, like the recent one in Kaduna, is part of our efforts at the Federal Ministry of Information and National Orientation, in collaboration with the National Communication Team, to connect directly with Nigerians on the Renewed Hope Agenda of President Bola Ahmed Tinubu, GCFR. Our goal is simple — to bridge the communication gap between government and citizens, block the spread of misinformation, and strengthen participatory democracy through open dialogue.
President Tinubu’s Renewed Hope Agenda, anchored on eight pillars, is about reforming the economy, securing the nation, and ensuring prosperity for all Nigerians, boost agriculture to achieve food security, unlock energy and natural resources for sustainable development, enhance infrastructure and transportation, focus on education, health, and social investment, accelerate diversification through industrialization, digitization, creative arts, manufacturing, and innovation, and also, improve governance for effective service delivery.
From the outset, the President took bold steps: removing fuel subsidy to end decades of cronyism and unify exchange rates to bring transparency. While these reforms brought initial hardship, targeted interventions such as wage awards, higher minimum wage, cash transfers, food security programmes, and cheaper Compressed Natural Gas for transport, are cushioning the impact. More funds are now available to states and LGs for infrastructure and human capital development.
In the South-East, these funds are delivering tangible impact, such as the laudable infrastructure projects we inspected earlier today across Enugu State, some of which were Federal Government projects, and scores of others by the Government of Enugu State. By all means His Excellency Governor Peter Mbah is defining the sort of harmony required by the centre and the states for national development.
The Eastern Railway Corridor from Port Harcourt through Aba and Enugu to Maiduguri is a presidential priority, with $3bn recently sought for modernization. Over 1,000 primary healthcare centres have been rehabilitated nationwide, including in the South-East. Only weeks ago, we commissioned a world-class oncology and cancer centre here in Enugu.
In a historic move, President Tinubu established new development commissions for all previously uncovered zones, ensuring no region is left behind. His inclusive governance style is evident in balanced appointments and equitable distribution of benefits.
On security, the administration has invested in modern equipment, more personnel, and better intelligence gathering, weakening criminal networks. For our youth, unprecedented opportunities have been created, with more young people in the Federal Executive Council and agency leadership than ever before.
Through the Nigeria Education Loan Fund, about 450,000 students have accessed loans, and nearly 90,000 Nigerians have benefited from the Consumer Credit Scheme. Recognizing the South-East’s industrial strength, the government has created three key business funds totalling ₦200bn: the Presidential Conditional Grant Scheme (PCGS); the FGN MSME Intervention Fund, and the FGN Manufacturing Sector Fund
I want to call on entrepreneurs to take advantage of these funds and embrace the “Nigeria First” policy that promotes patronage of locally made products.
It’s delightful to see that Enugu and Imo states are among the 11 states that have received regulatory autonomy to oversee the electricity market in their states, from generation to distribution, thanks to the Electricity Act signed into law by President Tinubu at the inception of this administration. We expect other states of the region to key into this policy as soon as possible.
Indeed, economic stability is returning; food prices are easing, forex markets stabilizing, and global rating agencies are optimistic about our trajectory toward a $1 trillion economy by 2030. While challenges remain, the progress is real.
By the end of President Tinubu’s first term, the benefits of reforms will be clearer, as the federal government remains committed to transparency, accountability, and delivering the dividends of democracy to all Nigerians. The South-East is at the heart of this vision, not its periphery.
We look forward to a frank and genial engagement with the good citizens of Ebonyi State.
Thank you for your kind attention.
May God bless Enugu State.
May God bless the Federal Republic of Nigeria.