Hussaini Umar
“While more than ₦1.5 trillion was committed to road infrastructure during the year. We believe firmly that an economy cannot grow faster than the infrastructure that supports it.
The government’s flagship highway projects were designed to unlock new economic corridors and built with reinforced concrete to last between 50 and 100 years”, he noted.
On the international front, he said Nigeria navigated complex diplomacy with maturity and principle, citing the resolution of a recent diplomatic dispute with the United States and the signing of a five-year, 5.1 billion dollar bilateral health cooperation agreement. According to him, the deal would strengthen Nigeria’s healthcare system, save lives and attract investment.
Idris added that Nigeria regained its Category C seat on the International Maritime Organisation Council after 14 years, while Nigerians assumed leadership roles in several global institutions and the country secured hosting rights for major continental and international events scheduled for 2026 and 2027.
The Minister said President Tinubu’s presentation of the ₦58.18 trillion 2026 Appropriation Bill to the National Assembly provided a clear economic blueprint for the coming year.
He described the proposal as a budget of historic ambition and focus, pointing to a ₦26.08 trillion capital expenditure allocation and a ₦5.41 trillion provision for defence and security.
The Minister noted that the budget would be funded through prudent assumptions and an aggressive, digitised revenue mobilisation drive, alongside plans to unify budget cycles and deepen tax reforms.
On youth empowerment, the Information Minister said 2025 recorded significant progress through targeted interventions.
” The Nigeria Education Loan Fund had supported more than 788,000 students with over ₦150 billion in interest-free loans and stipends, while new initiatives such as the iDICE programme and the Student Venture Capital Grant were designed to nurture the seeds of entrepreneurship in our campuses and turn our brightest minds into job creators, not just job seekers. The Three Million Technical Talent programme continued to expand Nigeria’s digital workforce”, he noted.
In the power sector, Idris said Nigeria recorded its highest-ever maximum daily energy output of 128,370.75 megawatt-hours in March 2025 and rolled out major interventions, including the Presidential Metering Initiative and a bond issuance under the Presidential Power Sector Debt Reduction Programme.
He described it as the single largest coordinated financial intervention in the history of our power sector.
Abducted Students Freed
While outlining the administration’s scorecard on security, the Minister confirmed the release of the remaining 130 pupils abducted from St. Mary’s Catholic School, Papiri, Niger State, bringing it to 230, the total number of children freed. He described the moment as a joyous news on security.
“With this development, it can be confirmed that all the abducted pupils, numbering 230, have been freed. Not a single pupil is left in captivity due to the efforts of our security agencies.
The Federal Government empathised with the families of the children and wished them a pleasant family reunion, a good healing process, compliments of the season and a Merry Christmas”, he said.
Idris also explained that the government has moved to strengthen national security architecture in 2025 through the declaration of a nationwide security emergency, which would translate into increased recruitment into the Armed Forces and Police, and the deployment of trained forest guards.
He announced the adoption of a new national counterterrorism doctrine anchored on unified command, intelligence, community stability and counterinsurgency.
“Let me be clear about what this means, henceforth, any armed group that kidnaps our children, attacks our farmers, or terrorises our communities is officially classified and will be dealt with as a terrorist organisation. The era of ambiguous nomenclature is over”, he explained.
He assured Nigerians that the government’s vision will be delivered through strategies that are unambiguous, to deliver a secure, competitive, and prosperous Nigeria.
