Tinubu promises reliable power supply, inaugurates Jigawa projects

President Bola Tinubu on Tuesday renewed his promise to provide Nigerians with reliable electricity.

He pledged at the All Progressives Congress rally at the Dutse Township Stadium in Jigawa State, where he outlined his administration’s priorities ahead of the 2027 general election.

Earlier, alongside Vice-President Kashim Shettima, Governor Umar Namadi of Jigawa State and other APC governors and party chieftains, among others, the President inaugurated projects embarked upon by the state government.

Addressing the crowd at the rally, the President said his government would adopt a different approach to addressing the country’s electricity challenges, criticising the existing privatisation model.

“We will provide reliable power, not the old privatisation that is not working. We will provide you with reliable power in this Nigeria,” he added.

The President also outlined other priorities in the APC’s manifesto, including investment in healthcare, reducing the cost of living, strengthening security and expanding economic opportunities.

He said the government would invest in medical facilities and create opportunities in every local government.

Tinubu also promised to strengthen Nigeria’s industrial base and support businesses of different sizes.

“We will stimulate a stronger industrial base in our country. We will help the nano, the small-scale business and medium-scale business,” he said.

He added that his administration would expand employment opportunities, improve incomes and develop the skills of Nigerians.

“We will expand the job opportunities for real income earners. We will develop their skills,” the President said.

Inaugurating four multi-billion naira projects executed by the Jigawa State Government, Tinubu said they aligned with his Renewed Hope Agenda, which is focused on productivity, skills development and food security.

The four landmark projects were all strategically located within the Dutse metropolis and were inaugurated virtually from the Dutse Township Stadium, the venue of the APC presidential campaign rally.

The projects included the Renewed Hope Technical Services Fabrication Centre, the Bola Ahmed Tinubu Multipurpose Skills Acquisition Centre, the 3.5km dualised road project from Kiyawa Road to Garu Emir’s Palace, and the state’s agricultural mechanisation programme.

In his welcome address, Namadi described the day as a defining moment in the history of Jigawa State, noting that it combined project inauguration with the launch of the 2027 APC presidential campaign rally.

“Mr President, on behalf of the government and the peace-loving people of Jigawa State, we are truly honoured and delighted by your presence at this historic gathering in Dutse,” Namadi said.

He thanked Tinubu for personally inaugurating the projects, saying, “Your presence and personal commissioning of these projects lend special significance to these achievements and reinforce our shared commitment to improving lives.”

Giving details on the inaugurated mechanisation programme, Namadi stated that “the project comprises 400 tractors, 60 combine harvesters and other agricultural equipment, including 150 boom sprayers and 150 seeders, aimed at boosting large-scale farming in the state.”

Namadi said the event highlighted the alignment between the Federal Government’s Renewed Hope Agenda and the state’s 12-Point Agenda for a Greater Jigawa.

He recalled President Tinubu as a true and steadfast friend of Jigawa, citing the ongoing multi-billion-naira Greater Dutse Water Supply Project, which he said was over 60 per cent complete after languishing on the drawing board for over a decade.

“That solemn promise you made during the 2023 campaign to our late Emir, Alhaji Nuhu Muhammad Sunusi, is becoming a reality,” the governor said, appealing to the President to fast-track its completion.

He listed other federal interventions in the state, including the Federal Government’s support during devastating floods, the Kano-Katsina-Maradi Railway Line, 100 subsidised tractors under the Food Security Support Intervention, and the establishment of the Federal College of Agriculture, Kirikasamma and Federal College of Education, Birniwa.

He further appreciated the progress on the Gaya-Shuwarin-Azare and Kano-Gumel-Hadejia federal roads, disclosing that 192,000 citizens in Jigawa were receiving Federal Cash Transfers with N14.36bn disbursed from 2024 to date.

Namadi, however, appealed for urgent federal intervention to tackle devastating erosion ravaging Hadejia Metropolis, Dutse, Birnin Kudu and Gwaram towns, which he said far exceeded the state’s capacity.

He also called for the restoration of the historic Kano-Nguru Railway Line and a review of import tariff policies on wheat and rice to protect local farmers from unfair competition and boost domestic production.

Describing Tinubu’s leadership, Namadi said, “We recognise in you a nationalist and true patriot with the courage to make bold, difficult decisions,” adding that another four years of his administration would make Nigeria’s development irreversible.

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