FG plans 4,000 influencers to showcase infrastructure projects

File: Minister of Works, David Umahi

The Minister of Works, David Umahi, has said the Federal Government plans to mobilise 4,000 social media influencers to showcase its infrastructure projects and communicate its achievements to Nigerians ahead of the 2027 general elections.

Umahi disclosed this on Tuesday in Abuja while receiving a report from the leadership of the National Association of Nigerian Students on its inspection of federal road projects across Kano, Jigawa, Kaduna and Sokoto states.

He said the network would help communicate directly with Nigerians, particularly young people, about projects being executed across the country. “We have to fight this social media war. So, we have to launch 4,000 social media influencers to tell our stories, and I want you to advise me on how to do it.

“You know I am proud of what the President is doing in infrastructure. I’m proud of all the gains we have made in various sectors of the economy, so we have to tell our stories. If you don’t say ‘I am’, nobody will tell you who you are,” Umahi said.

The minister said the students’ inspection tour had enabled them to identify areas where additional infrastructure was needed, particularly around tertiary institutions. “The pedestrian bridge you requested, I want my directors to take note of it, and we will do it, we will do it,” he said.

Umahi said the ministry would consider pedestrian bridges on roads leading to university campuses and other safety measures in future road projects.

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On the Lagos-Calabar Coastal Highway, the minister said the entire 105-kilometre pavement under the current construction section was expected to be completed by November. He, however, decried vandalism on the coastal highway.

“People have been destroying the infrastructure. Look at Lagos; I wept when I saw the infrastructure over the weekend. People have been passing through the camps; vehicles drive over the camps to cross from one point to the other. This is not acceptable.

“People cut the irons we used, destroy the block walls and remove the covers. That is not good at all,” he said.

Umahi commended the students for undertaking the inspection tour, saying Nigerians should assess public projects directly.

“We have to emulate what these future leaders of the country, the students, have done. They were tired of hearing about the success of infrastructure, and they went on their own to see for themselves how it positively impacts the lives and safety of their students. That is good leadership.”