The Presidency says President Bola Tinubu receives regular briefings on living conditions concerns, including the rising prices of essential food items such as eggs and bread. Presidential aides say their community engagement activities help relay citizens’ complaints and development needs directly to the government.
Dr Abiodun Essiet, Senior Special Assistant to the President on Community Engagement for the North-Central zone, made the disclosure on Tuesday at the State House in Abuja. She spoke alongside presidential aides responsible for community engagement across the country’s other five geopolitical zones.
Essiet said the President receives information about economic pressures facing Nigerians through his aides and members of the Federal Executive Council.
“I don’t feel it’s only media people that understand what the people are facing. Some of the reality of what our people are facing is what we are communicating to Mr President,” she said.
She added that the President was aware of the prices of everyday commodities because his aides regularly briefed him.
Tinubu Living Conditions Briefings Focus on Grassroots Needs
Essiet explained that the Presidency’s community engagement structure provides a channel for citizens to report problems and communicate their priorities to the Federal Government.
She said the arrangement helps officials identify pressing needs and direct complaints to the relevant government institutions.
The presidential aide also linked grassroots development to the administration’s push for local government financial autonomy. She argued that stronger councils could deliver services and development projects closer to residents.
“You see him taking government to court because of local government autonomy. There’s no president that has done that because he believes the masses need to benefit,” Essiet said.
She maintained that financially empowered councils could expand economic opportunities and improve access to government empowerment programmes outside state capitals.
Essiet disclosed that her office had established a citizens’ assembly with more than 700 representatives across the North-Central zone.
The group gathers complaints, assesses community needs and sends development priorities to the Presidency. According to her, about 70 per cent of the issues raised by residents fell within local governments’ constitutional responsibilities.
She also criticised poor service delivery in some communities, alleging that certain local government workers rarely reported for duty while residents continued to face infrastructure and public service challenges.
Essiet called for greater accountability in the use of council funds and stronger cooperation among federal, state and local governments.
Presidency Highlights North-Central Road Projects
Essiet said the Federal Government was implementing about 1,200 projects across the North-Central zone.
She reported that authorities had completed more than 167 kilometres of roads, while construction continued on another 1,207 kilometres.
One major project she highlighted was the 401-kilometre Bida-Lambata-Mokwa Road in Niger State, which she valued at ₦1.8 trillion. She said the route had caused hardship and fatal accidents for decades.
The presidential aide said the projects formed part of efforts to address longstanding infrastructure gaps across the region.
Aides List Major Transport Projects Across Regions
Senior Special Assistant on Community Engagement for the North-West, Abdullahi Tanko Yakasai, highlighted federal investments in major transport corridors.
He listed the Abuja-Kaduna-Kano highway, Zaria-Funtua-Gusau-Sokoto road, Kaduna-Jos road and Kano-Maiduguri highway among the projects.
Yakasai also identified the 1,068-kilometre Sokoto-Badagry Superhighway as a strategic route expected to connect agricultural communities with commercial centres and support interstate trade.
He said the Kaduna-Kano railway project was nearing completion. He also pointed to investments in renewable energy, irrigation, agricultural mechanisation and ecological infrastructure.
For the South-East, Senior Special Assistant Chioma Nweze said federal road investments were addressing concerns about the region’s infrastructure needs.
She cited the Enugu-Onitsha, Onitsha-Owerri, Enugu-Port Harcourt and Enugu-Abakaliki highways, adding that more than 1,000 kilometres of road projects were underway across the zone.
Nweze also mentioned work involving the Niger bridges, bypasses and the rehabilitation of a collapsed bridge in Enugu.
She said the South-East Development Commission, improved gas distribution and implementation of the Electricity Act 2023 could help tackle energy constraints, attract investment and create jobs.
South-South and South-West Projects Feature in Briefings
Senior Special Assistant for the South-South, Gift Johnbul, identified the Lagos-Calabar Coastal Highway and interventions on the East-West Road as important projects for the Niger Delta.
She also listed the Benin-Agbor road, Benin bypass, Benin-Warri-Sapele corridor and bridge projects serving previously isolated communities.
Johnbul argued that better transport links, electricity and market access could help the region expand agriculture, commerce and industry beyond oil and gas.
For the North-East, Senior Special Assistant Abdullahamid Abba highlighted road, education, healthcare and water infrastructure investments.
He named the Akwanga-Jos, Jos-Gombe and Gombe-Biu roads, alongside the highway towards Gamboru Ngala and the Cameroon border, as important routes for commerce and cross-border trade.
Abba praised Works Minister David Umahi for advancing the administration’s road construction programme.
In the South-West, Senior Special Assistant Moremi Ojudu highlighted local government autonomy, the South-West Development Commission and major highway projects.
She cited the Third Mainland Bridge, Apapa-Oshodi Expressway, Lagos-Ibadan Expressway and Lagos-Calabar Coastal Highway. Ojudu said 47.7 kilometres of the coastal highway had been completed, opening up communities along the Lekki corridor.
Presidential Aides Urge Support for Tinubu’s Programmes
The six aides said infrastructure, grassroots governance and investment in agriculture, education and energy remained central to the administration’s development plans.
Some also expressed support for Tinubu’s re-election bid in 2027, citing projects in their respective regions.
However, the briefings primarily presented the government’s account of its ongoing projects and engagement with communities. The extent to which these investments have improved household living conditions will depend on their delivery and measurable effects on residents.
The aides called for continued cooperation among the three tiers of government. They said sustained implementation would be necessary to translate infrastructure spending into better services, more jobs and wider economic opportunities.