The Presidency has said the gains recorded under President Bola Ahmed Tinubu’s Renewed Hope Agenda will continue after his re-election in January 2027, citing ongoing infrastructure and development projects in Benue State as evidence of the administration’s impact.
The Senior Special Assistant to the President on Strategic Communications, Frederick Nwabufo, stated this on Friday during an inspection of key federal and Benue State government projects organised by the Presidential Media Team and the Renewed Hope Ambassadors.
Nwabufo made the remarks in response to critics who have claimed that there are no visible signs of the Renewed Hope Agenda across the country.
According to him, the inspection of projects in Benue showed that the administration’s policies and programmes were delivering results across various sectors.
“We are here in Benue State. This is the third day, and particularly in reference to a particular sojourner who said there are no signs of Renewed Hope anywhere. You journalists have been here with us. You can see the signs everywhere — on the roads, in health, in education, across all sectors. The signs are very visible,” Nwabufo said.
“We are not just reclining in armchairs; we are on the ground inspecting these projects unscheduled, and you can see that. So, the gains of Renewed Hope will continue as Mr President is re-elected in January 2027.”
The delegation inspected Sections One and Two of the Lafia Bypass and the dualisation of the Makurdi–Ninth Mile Road.
The Federal Controller of Works in Benue State, Engr. Mukaila Danladi, said the road project traverses Benue, Kogi and Enugu states.
“The total length is 250 kilometres, which becomes 500 kilometres on a dual carriageway. For ease of construction, it was divided into five sections.
“Sections Four and Five fall in Enugu State, while Sections One, Two and Three fall in Benue State. This section where we are is 50 kilometres, and the 50 kilometres is multiplied by two. That’s 100 kilometres. As you can see, we have covered about 86 kilometres up to binder course level,” Danladi said.
He attributed the slow pace of construction to the rainy season but said work on hydraulic structures was ongoing.
Danladi also disclosed that the Minister of Works had approved a change in the design from surface-dressed shoulders to hard shoulders to improve the road’s durability.
The Project Manager of China Harbour Engineering Company, Engr. Tijani Olalekan Babatunde, said 56 kilometres of binder course had been completed on both carriageways in Section One.
He added that 72.6 kilometres in Section Two, covering the Aliade–Otukpo axis, had reached wearing course level.
“The completion period is 48 months, so that means by the 1st of February 2028. But the Honourable Minister has directed that contractors increase the pace. We may likely complete by December 2027,” Babatunde said.
The Special Adviser to the President on Information and Strategy, Bayo Onanuga, who also spoke during the inspection, commended the quality of the road project.
“Even though we have not even completed this road, it has shortened the travel time between Makurdi and Otukpo. I learnt before it used to take about three hours, but now just about one and a half hours. This is a commendable project, and I think President Tinubu deserves applause for touching almost every part of Nigeria,” he said.
Onanuga said completing the road would further improve connectivity and boost economic activities by facilitating the movement of people and goods across state borders.
“I said the road is impressive on its own, and if you are able to link all parts of Nigeria, it shows you that we are improving the connectivity across our states. And, of course, what it will boost is not just passenger traffic, but also business traffic, to be able to move goods across all the state borders,” he added.
The delegation also visited Taraku Mills, where the Chief Press Secretary to the Benue State Governor, Kula Tersoo, said the N70 billion factory, established during the administration of former Governor Aper Aku, had been moribund since the mid-1990s before it was revived by Governor Hyacinth Alia.
“The machines are undergoing test runs. They were serviced. The people of this area guided this factory jealously. No pin got missing until Father Alia came and decided to revamp the company,” Tersoo said.
The Plant Manager, Engr. James Twenge, said the mill currently has more than 2,000 direct and indirect workers.
He explained that the facility comprises an oil division as well as maize and feed mill divisions.
“The maize plant can process 72,000 metric tonnes per annum. The feed mill can process 172,300 metric tonnes per annum. In the oil mill, we have a mechanical press line of 200 metric tonnes per day and a solvent extraction plant of 320 metric tonnes per day. Within the next two months, we will have products coming out,” Twenge said.
Tersoo linked the revival of the factory to the economic reforms of the Tinubu administration.
“Where is that money coming from? If the economy is not improved, you wouldn’t have gotten that money. We appreciate Mr President for making Nigeria work again and for giving the governor the support to fulfil his promises,” he said.
The team also inspected the 52-kilometre Oju–Awaji Road, a Benue State government project linking three local government areas.
The Director-General of the Bureau of Special Projects, Engr. Gabriel Akpen, said the road, which was last constructed in 1982, had fallen into complete disrepair.
“We started from there. Several kilometres ahead, the work has been completed. We have completed 19 kilometres with asphalt. In the next six or seven months, the entire stretch will be completed,” Akpen said.
Chairmen of Konshisha and Gwer East Local Government Areas said economic activities had increased significantly, while commuters were now enjoying easier movement along the route.
At the Otobi Waterworks, the Director of Urban Water Supply, Juliet Maka, said the water scheme, constructed in 2012, had been abandoned for years before it was rehabilitated in September 2023 under Governor Alia.
“The system here is 10,000 cubic metres per day. We are operating at full capacity. Otukpo town and the Otobi community are benefiting,” she said.
