Nigerian President Bola Tinubu embarked on a two-day working visit to Katsina State on May 2, 2025, to inaugurate federal and state projects aimed at boosting agriculture and infrastructure.
The visit, Tinubu’s first to Katsina since taking office in May 2023, includes commissioning a 500-hectare irrigation scheme in Funtua, funded by a $100 million World Bank loan, to enhance food security for 200,000 farmers. He will also launch a N5 billion solar power plant in Kankia, designed to supply 20 megawatts to rural communities, addressing Nigeria’s 40% electricity access gap.
Tinubu’s itinerary features a courtesy call on the Emir of Katsina, Abdulmuminu Kabir Usman, and a town hall with stakeholders to discuss insecurity, with 15,000 banditry-related deaths reported in the Northwest since 2020. Katsina, a key agricultural hub producing 10% of Nigeria’s maize, faces 33.2% inflation and 60% poverty, exacerbating local discontent. The president will inspect the upgraded Katsina Airport runway, a N10 billion project to boost trade, and flag off 1,000 housing units for low-income families, part of a 2024 housing initiative. Security concerns prompted 5,000 police and military deployments, with no protests reported.
The visit follows Tinubu’s May Day address, where he urged workers to endure economic reforms, citing a 3.2% GDP growth forecast. Critics, however, highlight Katsina’s 20% unemployment and 500,000 out-of-school children, blaming federal policies like fuel subsidy removal, which spiked prices by 300%. Governor Dikko Radda, hosting Tinubu, praised the projects but requested federal aid for 50,000 displaced persons. The trip underscores Tinubu’s push to consolidate support in the North, a key voting bloc, ahead of 2027 elections, but analysts warn that tangible benefits must reach Katsina’s 8 million residents to quell rising tensions.
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