The Federal Government plans to engage 4,000 social media influencers to publicise infrastructure projects executed under President Bola Tinubu’s administration, Minister of Works David Umahi has said.
Umahi disclosed this on Tuesday in Abuja while receiving a report from the National Association of Nigerian Students (NANS) on its inspection of federal road projects across Kano, Jigawa, Kaduna and Sokoto states.
The minister said the proposed influencer network would be used to communicate the administration’s infrastructure achievements directly to Nigerians, particularly young people.
“We have to fight this social media war. We have to launch 4,000 social media influencers to tell our stories,” Umahi said.
He said there was a need to increase public awareness of what he described as the administration’s achievements in infrastructure development.
Umahi also said the government would consider constructing pedestrian bridges around university campuses following concerns raised by NANS during its inspection of federal road projects.
He commended the students’ body for independently assessing the projects and examining their impact on host communities.
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The minister further announced that the 105-kilometre pavement currently under construction on the Lagos-Calabar Coastal Highway is expected to be completed by November.
However, he raised concerns over alleged vandalism along the highway, accusing some individuals of destroying infrastructure and removing safety installations.
The Lagos-Calabar Coastal Highway has been the subject of controversy over its environmental impact assessment, alignment and potential implications for flooding in Lagos.
The Federal Ministry of Environment had previously conducted public-display exercises for the environmental and social impact assessment reports covering sections one and two of the project, spanning the first 104 kilometres.
The project also came under renewed scrutiny following flooding in parts of Lagos, with some stakeholders calling for an independent assessment of whether the highway’s alignment, construction and drainage infrastructure contributed to the flooding.
The Federal Government has rejected claims that the highway caused flooding in Lagos.
Umahi maintained that the road was designed with measures to mitigate flooding, stressing that drainage infrastructure had been incorporated into the project to facilitate the evacuation of water from surrounding areas.
The minister urged Nigerians to protect public infrastructure, adding that the government would continue to involve citizens in monitoring the implementation of its projects.
