The Presidency says President Bola Tinubu receives regular briefings on the cost of living and conditions in Nigerian communities, rejecting suggestions that the administration is detached from the financial pressures facing households.
Senior Special Assistant on Community Engagement for the North Central zone, Abiodun Essiet, made the assertion at the State House in Abuja during a joint briefing by presidential community engagement aides representing the six geopolitical zones. She said information on the prices of everyday essentials, including bread and eggs, forms part of the feedback communicated to the President and members of the Federal Executive Council.
Essiet described the community engagement structure as a channel through which residents can raise concerns and identify local development priorities. She said a citizens’ assembly of more than 700 representatives had been established in the North Central zone and claimed that about 70 per cent of issues raised concerned responsibilities ordinarily assigned to local governments.
She linked the administration’s pursuit of local government financial autonomy to its intention to strengthen service delivery closer to communities. However, she also acknowledged weaknesses in local council administration and called for stronger accountability in the use of public resources.
The aides used the briefing to outline federal road, rail, energy and other infrastructure projects across the country. Essiet cited road works in the North Central zone, including the Bida, Lambata and Mokwa corridor. North West representative Abdullahi Tanko Yakasai pointed to highways connecting Abuja, Kaduna, Kano, Sokoto and Maiduguri, alongside rail, irrigation and energy initiatives.
South East representative Chioma Nweze cited ongoing works on the Enugu to Onitsha, Onitsha to Owerri and other strategic roads, as well as the South East Development Commission. Gift Johnbul, representing the South South, highlighted the Lagos to Calabar Coastal Highway, the East West Road and road links across the Niger Delta. Representatives of the North East and South West also outlined projects they said would support regional connectivity and economic activity.
Several of the aides expressed political support for Tinubu ahead of the 2027 election, presenting infrastructure spending as a reason for continuity. Their statements reflect the administration’s position; the project counts, completion claims and projected benefits were not independently established in the supplied material.
For communities facing rising food, transport and housing costs, the practical test of these commitments will be whether announced investments translate into affordable services, jobs and measurable improvements in daily living standards.
