President Bola Tinubu has directed the transfer of the Office of the Surveyor-General of the Federation (OSGoF) from the Ministry of Works to the Presidency.

Minister of Information and National Orientation, Mohammed Idris, announced this after Thursday’s Federal Executive Council (FEC) meeting chaired by the president.

The News Agency of Nigeria (NAN) reports that the directive aims to streamline geospatial data management and ensure more direct oversight of national mapping and land administration priorities.

Although the minister did not provide detailed reasons for the reassignment, the move aligns with the administration’s reform agenda and growing reliance on geospatial intelligence for planning, infrastructure development, and security mapping.

The OSGoF is the country’s official mapping agency, responsible for providing geospatial information, data, and services.

Meanwhile, President Tinubu has approved a ward-level development strategy designed to drive grassroots economic growth and address poverty across Nigeria’s 8,809 wards.

The Renewed Hope Ward Development Programme (RHWDP) was adopted during the 150th meeting of the National Economic Council (NEC), held on Thursday at the State House in Abuja.

The programme forms part of the broader Renewed Hope Agenda, which targets a $1 trillion economy by 2030.

Speaking at the NEC meeting, Tinubu urged state governors to prioritise the welfare of citizens at the local level. “I want to appeal to you; let us change the story of our people in the rural areas. The economy is working. We are on the path of recovery, but we need to stimulate growth in the rural areas,” he said.

The RHWDP aims to serve as a coordinated intervention framework focused on poverty alleviation, food security, rural infrastructure, power supply, and job creation.

The strategy sets minimum thresholds for economic activities—1,000 in smaller wards and 2,000 in larger ones—with oversight by a National Steering Committee and the Ministry of Budget and Economic Planning acting as secretariat.

The initiative was presented to the Council by Budget and Economic Planning Minister Abubakar Atiku Bagudu, who said it would involve the three tiers of government in implementation.