The federal government has reaffirmed its commitment to working with the Taraba State government to unlock the state’s vast potential in agriculture, energy, tourism, infrastructure and mineral resources.

The Minister of Information and National Orientation, Mohammed Idris, stated this on Thursday in Jalingo at the gala night to mark Taraba State’s 35th anniversary and the official unveiling of the Taraba Regional Development Master Plan.

He described the newly unveiled Taraba Regional Development Master Plan as an important blueprint for sustainable growth.

Mr Idris commended Governor Agbu Kefas for adopting a long-term development framework, saying the Master Plan’s success would ultimately depend on sustained implementation and its impact on citizens’ lives.

“The success of this master plan will not be measured by the ceremony at which it is unveiled but by the roads built, businesses created, jobs generated, communities connected and lives improved,” the minister said.

Mr Idris described Taraba as one of Nigeria’s most promising economic frontiers, with enormous opportunities in agriculture and agro-processing, livestock, hydropower, tourism, manufacturing and mineral development.

He praised the Kefas administration for its investments in education, healthcare, infrastructure, security and economic development, particularly its policy of free and compulsory primary and secondary education.

The minister said the evidence was in the provision of more than N1.8 billion in 2026 to cover NECO, BECE and NABTEB examination registration for public-school students.

The minister also highlighted approximately $268 million in financing agreements signed between Taraba State and the ECOWAS Bank for Investment and Development for an integrated industrial park, 10,000 hectares of irrigated rice production and processing, and a 50-megawatt solar power plant in Jalingo.

Mr Idris said the Tinubu administration was complementing the state’s development drive through major federal infrastructure projects.

“These include the Gembu–Mbamnga–Yang (Lip) Road, the Bali–Serti–Gashaka–Gembu Road, interventions on the Jalingo–Mutum Biyu–Tella–Wukari corridor, as well as further work on the Mayo Selbe–Gembu, Mutum Biyu–Garba Chede and Jalingo–Numan roads,” he said.

The minister also reaffirmed the federal government’s commitment to harnessing Taraba’s agricultural, energy and mineral potential, including the strategic Mambilla Hydroelectric Power Project.

On security, Mr Idris said the federal government was advancing reforms to establish state police and cited the Nigerian Army’s 10 Division, headquartered in Jalingo.

He said the federal government’s economic reforms were designed to create a stronger fiscal foundation for development, noting that the removal of petrol subsidy had mobilised N15.8 trillion in additional resources for the federation between June 2023 and December 2025.

According to him, approximately N5.4 trillion accrued to the federal government while about N10.4 trillion went to states and local governments.

Mr Idris said the federal government remained opposed to a return to the previous subsidy regime, stressing that the priority was to consolidate the gains of reform, protect vulnerable Nigerians and ensure that additional public resources translated into tangible improvements in citizens’ lives.

The minister also pledged stronger collaboration between the Federal Ministry of Information and National Orientation and the Taraba State Ministry of Information and Reorientation to ensure citizens understand and embrace the Master Plan’s objectives.

In his remarks, Mr Kefas called for continuity in governance, acknowledging the contributions of former military administrators and elected governors to Taraba State’s development.

He said his administration was committed to building on previous achievements, correcting what needed correcting, completing worthy projects, and opening new frontiers for future generations.

Present at the event were former Taraba State Governor Jolly Nyame; Secretary to the Government of Taraba State, G.T. Kataps; the director-general of the Nigerian Television Authority, Salihu Dembos; and the director-general of the Federal Radio Corporation of Nigeria, Mohammed Bulama, among other dignitaries.

(NAN)