The Federal Government plans to mobilise 4,000 social media influencers to showcase its infrastructure projects and communicate the achievements of President Bola Tinubu’s administration to Nigerians ahead of the 2027 general elections.
Minister of Works, David 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.
Umahi said the proposed influencer network would help the government reach Nigerians, particularly young people, through social media.
“We have to fight this social media war. So, we have to launch 4,000 social media influencers to tell our stories,” he said.
He added, “You know I am proud of what the President is doing in infrastructure. I’m proud of all the gains we have made in various sectors of the economy, so we have to tell our stories. If you don’t say ‘I am’, nobody will tell you who you are.”
The minister also commended NANS for independently inspecting federal projects and said the government would consider requests for pedestrian bridges around university campuses and other safety measures.
On the Lagos-Calabar Coastal Highway, Umahi said the 105-kilometre pavement currently under construction was expected to be completed by November. He, however, expressed concern over vandalism along the highway, including the destruction of infrastructure and removal of safety installations.
Umahi urged Nigerians to protect public infrastructure and continue to independently monitor government projects. He said the students’ inspection showed the importance of citizens seeing projects for themselves rather than relying solely on information shared online.