The Kogi Progressive Stakeholders Forum (KPSF) has applauded President Bola Ahmed Tinubu for approving the design and procurement of the 108-kilometre Otuocha-Anam-Ibaji-Idah road, describing the project as a major infrastructure milestone that will transform economic activities between Kogi and Anambra states.
In a statement issued on Friday by its State Coordinator, Sani Philips, the group said the approval reflected President Tinubu’s responsiveness to the needs of Nigerians and his administration’s commitment to expanding critical infrastructure across the country.
KPSF recalled that the demand for the road project was formally presented during its zonal strategic meeting held on July 9, 2026, in Anyigba, Dekina Local Government Area, where stakeholders gathered to strategise for the President’s 2027 re-election campaign.
According to the forum, Tinubu approved the project’s design and procurement on July 13, barely days after the request was made.
“We are pleased that the President, as a proactive and listening leader, approved the design and procurement of the Otuocha-Anam-Ibaji-Idah road,” the statement said.
The group noted that the project would particularly benefit residents of Ibaji and Idah Local Government Areas of Kogi State by opening up rural communities, creating employment opportunities, reducing travel time and stimulating commerce between the South-East and North-Central regions.
It added that the road would serve as a strategic economic corridor linking agrarian communities to larger commercial centres while strengthening regional transportation and trade.
KPSF said the approval further underscored the Tinubu administration’s focus on infrastructure, citing projects such as the Lagos-Calabar Coastal Highway and the Kano-Maradi Railway as evidence of sustained investment in national development.
The forum also defended the administration’s economic reforms, including the removal of fuel subsidy and the unification of the foreign exchange market, arguing that the measures had strengthened public finances and improved macroeconomic stability.
It pointed to Nigeria’s external reserves, which it said rose to $51.04 billion by mid-June 2026, attributing the increase to improved oil earnings, stronger foreign exchange inflows and renewed investor confidence.
On education, the group praised the establishment of the Nigerian Education Loan Fund (NELFUND), describing it as a landmark initiative that has expanded access to higher education through interest-free student loans.
It also highlighted government interventions in agriculture, including the declaration of a state of emergency on food security, the N100 billion Agricultural Development Fund and the National Livestock Programme, saying the initiatives were designed to boost food production and address persistent farmer-herder conflicts.
The forum equally commended Anambra State Governor, Prof. Chukwuma Charles Soludo, for consistently advocating federal attention to the Otuocha-Anam-Ibaji-Idah road project.
Reaffirming its political position, KPSF pledged to mobilise support across Kogi State for President Tinubu’s re-election in 2027 and for candidates of the All Progressives Congress (APC) in the forthcoming presidential and National Assembly elections.