By FREDRICK NWABUFO

Experience is enriched by travel. It is one thing to sit in an air-conditioned office as a self-appointed pontiff— throwing darts, gnawing, and braying at every government action, policy, and programme. It is quite another to step out from the cushy embrace of the armchair into the rigour of fact-finding, research, verification, and investigation.

The armchair is a place of conjectures and vacuousness — whether for journalists, political leaders, civil society figures, public officers, or career professionals. It is simply not the place to linger if making informed decisions and disciplined commentary is the true goal of any engagement.

The Presidential Communication Team (PCT) is not cozied up in armchairs. It is doing the quarry — touring villages, towns, local government areas, and cities across the six geopolitical zones of the country. The team is inspecting federal and state-sponsored projects, feeling the pulse of Nigerians at the cellular level, and channeling vital feedback directly to the government.

In continuation of its nationwide project inspection tour, the PCT/Renewed Hope Ambassadors — alongside over 40 senior journalists — visited Imo and Kogi states a few days ago.

One thread runs through both Imo in the South-East and Kogi in the North-Central: the visible trail of Renewed Hope. It is evident in transformative projects and programmes carrying far-reaching implications for infrastructural and human capital development across both zones.

In Imo, this trail shimmers in the completed 56-kilometer Okigwe–Owerri Road, the 36-kilometer Owerri–Obowo–Umuahia Road, and the ongoing upgrade of the standard runway at Sam Mbakwe International Cargo Airport. It is equally visible at the newly upgraded Alvan Ikoku Federal University of Education, Owerri, various TETFUND-sponsored developments, and the Federal Medical Centre, Owerri — now upgraded to the Federal University of Technology Teaching Hospital.

Perhaps of special import is the Imo Digital City —a technology and innovation hub established by the state government, where smartphones, laptops, drones, and other devices are assembled. The facility actively trains young Nigerians, creating direct employment opportunities for thousands.

Governor Hope Uzodimma affirmed a common truth when he said that the state has been able to execute numerous landmark projects owing to the support of President Bola Tinubu and increased monthly allocations from the Federation Account Allocation Committee (FAAC).

In his words, President Tinubu is akin to Lee Kuan Yew, the founding prime minister of Singapore, who transformed his nation into a global economic leader.

“In President Bola Tinubu, we have another Lee Kuan Yew,” the governor said.

“The old order is gone, and there is now a new order. President Tinubu knew exactly what he came to do. He started implementing reforms immediately because he understood the task before him.”

In Kogi, the trail led to the Kabba Junction section of the Abuja–Lokoja Expressway —the starting point of the Lokoja–Benin Expressway—which is currently undergoing major rehabilitation. The tour also covered the state-owned Confluence University of Science and Technology (CUSTECH), Osara; several TETFUND projects; the Barefoot Renewable Energy College; and the Green Hydrogen Research & Demonstration Pilot Plant established at the university by the federal government through the Energy Commission of Nigeria (ECN), alongside numerous primary health centres.

Other notable projects include the ongoing reconstruction of the Kabba–Egbe–Omuaran–Ilorin Road by the federal government; a 12-kilometer internal road with a 24-kilometer double-sided drainage network in Ankpa LGA executed by Governor Ododo’s administration; the 60-kilometer Iyale–Ogane–Enugu rural road under construction in Dekina LGA; and extensive developments across the health and education sectors.

The defining complexion of the Renewed Hope trail is that it does not end in a single region; it spans every corner of the country. Today, the nation is one massive construction yard — a testament to the priority the Tinubu administration places on critical infrastructure.

Strategic investment in infrastructure not only improves mobility; it fuels economic growth. As these ongoing projects reach completion, they will inevitably unlock significant commercial activity along these corridors.

The Tinubu administration is building not just for today, but for a future where access to quality infrastructure is no longer a luxury, but the right of every Nigerian.

•Fredrick Nwabufo is the Senior Special Assistant to the President on Public Engagement.

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