• Tinubu blames opposition for early campaigns, says administration focused on governance
Leveraging the Federal Government’s disclosure that the country’s North-West region is the largest beneficiary of capital projects under President Bola Tinubu, with approvals valued at N5.97 trillion or over 40 per cent of total allocations, the Borno State Governor, Babagana Zulum, yesterday led a delegation of North-East governors to meet with the president on critical issues affecting the region.

Part of the list of demands presented to President Tinubu at the meeting, held at the Presidential Villa in Abuja, included urgent completion of 17 vital road projects neglected for decades and the resumption of oil exploration in the frontier wells, particularly the Kolmani and Lake Chad wells.

Other governors in attendance included Muhammadu Inuwa Yahaya of Gombe, Bala Muhammad of Bauchi, Mai Mala Buni of Yobe, Ahmadu Umaru Fintiri of Adamawa and Agbu Kefas of Taraba.

Delivering his address, Zulum, who is also the chairman of the North-East Governors Forum, urged the president to complete the ongoing road projects and build critical roads connecting the six states of the zone.

The roads are Kano-Maiduguri Road, Port Harcourt-Jos-Bauchi-Maiduguri Railway line, Bama-Mubi-Yola Road, Wukari-Jalingo-Yola Road, Duguri-Mansur Road (NNPC Project Ongoing), Bauchi-Gombe-Biu-Damaturu Road, Damaturu-Geidam Road, Bauchi-Ningi-Nasaru-Babaldo Road and Gombe-Potiskum, Damaturu-Biu Roads.

Others include Alkaleri-Futuk Road, Maiduguri-Damboa-Yola Road, Gombe-Dukku-Darazo Road, Biu-Gombe Road, Ibi-Shamdam Road, Maiduguri-Monguno-Baga Road and Maiduguri-Ngala-Bama-Banki Roads.

Governor Zulum commended the president for the commitment to restoring peace within the North-East and assured the president of their commitment to his administration’s initiative on training of manpower and providing technology with a view to reversing the insecurity facing the North-East.

He told the president that the North-East has a peculiarity of managing large states with “unmanned forest, gorges, deserts, mountains and rivers which make them inaccessible, often hard to reach and almost becoming ungoverned spaces and thereby exacerbating the security challenges of the region.

“We are fully aligning with Mr. President’s good initiative of training of manpower and providing technology with a view to reversing the ugly trend in the forest, thereby reducing the insurgency and promoting agricultural development in alignment with the renewed hope agenda on food security,” Zulum said.

Zulum also commended the President for his intervention in mitigating the menace of flood, desertification and other natural disasters, adding that the region having suffered so much environmental and developmental setbacks. He further asked the president for continued military operations on the shores of Lake Chad, Dajin Madama, Mandara Hills, Sambisa Game Reserve, Mansur, Yelwa, Futuk, Kolmani areas, Karin Lamido Forest amongst others.

Other demands of the region, apart from the completion of critical road infrastructure, was the provision of funding to the Multi-National Joint Task Force (MNJTF) in Baga, Borno State, for military operation in the Lake Chad region.

RESPONDING, President Tinubu acknowledged the governors’ concerns and assured them of his administration’s commitment to addressing the developmental needs of the northeast, adding that his administration remains “laser-focused” on governance, pledging sustained commitment to advancing the economy, enhancing national security, and improving the welfare of citizens.

He, however, blamed opposition parties for drawing the ruling All Progressives Congress (APC) into early political activities ahead of the 2027 general elections, but insisted that he will not be distracted from providing good leadership to Nigerians.

He stressed that he would not be distracted by early political activities ahead of the next election cycle, noting that political distractions were inevitable but would not derail his government’s priorities.

“Whichever way it is, I am not detracted. I am solidly focused, laser-focused on what is ahead. In the political environment, we are being drawn into early political activities from our rival political parties, but whichever way it is, I am not distracted; I am solidly focused on what is ahead. Politics will happen at a given time. It is maturity, but what we have seen come from the North East is a great dedication that is yielding results.

“I think working together the way we have been is the way to go to build Nigeria of our dreams. There’s no way politics will not interfere once in a while.”

Addressing his visitors, the president noted the challenges facing the region and how the governors have tried their best, especially using the civilian JTF in collaboration with the security agencies and hinted about approaching the National Assembly on the issue of State Police.

He applauded ongoing housing projects in Borno and other states, revealing that citizens who had lived in camps were now resettling with roofs over their heads.

Meanwhile, President Tinubu is set to visit Nasarawa State to commission a new 6,000-metric-ton lithium processing plant built by Chinese investors, Governor Abdullahi Sule said on Wednesday.

Speaking to newsmen after he met with the president at the Presidential Villa, Abuja, Sule disclosed that the facility, located in Nasarawa Local Government Area, is twice the size of a 3,000MT plant inaugurated in the state last year.

He said the commissioning would take place after the President’s return from France, where he is scheduled to spend two weeks beginning later this week.

“They promised to build a bigger one. They have just completed it, and it is ready for commissioning. Mr. President assured us that upon his return from his short vacation, he will come to Nasarawa to inaugurate the project,” Sule said.

Nasarawa, in North-central Nigeria, is emerging as a hub in the country’s expanding lithium value chain. Lithium, a critical mineral used in electric vehicle batteries and energy storage systems, has drawn growing interest from foreign investors amid the global energy transition.

Sule recalled that the success of last year’s project spurred fresh investor confidence: “Because of the quality and commercial quantity of lithium they discovered, the investors were excited and committed to building something bigger. They have now fulfilled that promise.”

Since 2023, the Federal Government has prioritised value addition in solid minerals to curb raw exports and boost domestic refining.

In May, authorities announced plans to commission at least two Chinese-backed lithium processing plants in 2025 as part of this beneficiation drive.

The new Nasarawa plant is one of several Chinese-supported projects following extensive exploration and confirmation of commercial-grade deposits in the state.

The Ministry of Solid Minerals has also unveiled plans to restrict lithium exports, adopting models similar to Indonesia’s nickel policy and Zimbabwe’s lithium strategy, in order to strengthen local processing and job creation.

Governor Sule further linked Nasarawa’s infrastructure growth to the Tinubu administration’s economic reforms, particularly fuel subsidy removal and exchange rate unification, which he said have boosted state revenues.

“With the significant revenue improvement, instead of borrowing from banks, we are now deploying our enhanced resources to drive development,” he said.

Earlier this year, President Tinubu declared Nigeria’s ambition to become a regional hub for lithium-ion battery and solar panel production, leveraging rising global demand and the country’s vast mineral wealth.

To support this vision, the Federal Government has launched a mining police unit to tackle illegal mining, especially in the north-central region where artisanal operations are widespread.