REMARKS BY THE HONOURABLE MINISTER OF INFORMATION AND NATIONAL ORIENTATION, ALHAJI MOHAMMED IDRIS, FNIPR, AT THE CELEBRATION OF TARABA STATE AT 35 AND THE OFFICIAL UNVEILING OF THE TARABA REGIONAL DEVELOPMENT MASTER PLAN, JALINGO, TARABA STATE — 27 AUGUST 2026
PROTOCOL.
I am delighted to be in Taraba State today, and I bring warm greetings from His Excellency, President Bola Ahmed Tinubu, GCFR, and the Federal Executive Council.
It is a great honour to join the government and people of Taraba in celebrating 35 years of statehood and, importantly, in witnessing the unveiling of a blueprint that looks beyond the achievements of the past to the possibilities of the future.
Thirty-five years is a significant milestone. Since its creation on 27 August 1991, Taraba has developed into a state distinguished by its cultural diversity, agricultural potential, natural resources and remarkable landscapes.
It is not by accident that Taraba's slogan is “Nature's Gift to the Nation.” It reflects the beauty and fertility of the State's terrain and landscape, and the warmth and welcoming nature of its people. It is home to Chappal Waddi, Nigeria's highest mountain, the Gashaka-Gumti National Park and the iconic Mambilla Plateau. It is home to nourishing rivers, including the one from which it gets its name. And in its ethnic diversity, Taraba represents a remarkable microcosm of Nigeria, with numerous communities and cultures living together.
Taraba is also one of Nigeria's important agricultural frontiers. Its fertile lowlands support the cultivation of crops such as yam, rice, cassava, millet and maize, while the highlands offer opportunities in crops such as tea and coffee, alongside significant livestock production. Its rivers and water resources also give the state enormous potential for hydropower and other forms of energy development.
What this means is that Taraba's greatest asset is not simply what is beneath the ground or the beauty of its landscape. It is the economic value that can be created from these resources, through agriculture and agro-processing, livestock, energy, tourism, manufacturing and other productive activities.
However, an anniversary is not only about looking back. It is also about asking: What kind of future are we building? That is what makes today's unveiling of the Taraba Regional Development Master Plan so significant.
Development requires vision, planning and consistency. A master plan provides a framework for coordinated growth, responsible investment, infrastructure development and better use of public resources. I commend Governor Agbu Kefas and the Taraba State Government for embracing this long-term approach.
I also acknowledge the progress being made by the Taraba State Government across areas such as education, healthcare, infrastructure, economic development, security and social cohesion. The decision to make primary and secondary education free and compulsory is particularly important, given the central role of education in building the human capital that Taraba will require for its next phase of development. The State Government has also continued to support students by meeting examination costs, including more than ₦1.8 billion provided in 2026 for NECO, BECE and NABTEB registration for public-school students.
The recent financing secured by Taraba from the ECOWAS Bank for Investment and Development is another significant development. In June this year, EBID and the Taraba State Government signed financing agreements totalling about $268 million for an integrated industrial park, 10,000 hectares of irrigated rice production and processing, and a 50-megawatt solar power plant in Jalingo. These are precisely the kinds of investments that can connect Taraba's natural advantages to jobs, production, value addition and economic growth.
The Federal Government under President Bola Ahmed Tinubu shares this commitment to deliberate and inclusive development. Indeed, Taraba is already benefiting from this vision.
Across the state, the Federal Government is investing in critical road infrastructure that is opening up communities and connecting Taraba more effectively to the rest of Nigeria and neighbouring countries.
On the Mambilla Plateau, work is progressing on the Gembu–Mbamnga–Yang (Lip) Road, a long-awaited project linking communities towards the Cameroon border. The Federal Government is also undertaking the reconstruction and rehabilitation of the Bali–Serti–Gashaka–Gembu Road, while interventions have been made on the Jalingo–Mutum Biyu–Tella–Wukari corridor.
More recently, the Federal Government has approved further interventions, including the construction of the Mayo Selbe–Gembu Road and the rehabilitation of the Mutum Biyu–Garba Chede Road, as well as the completion of the Jalingo–Numan corridor. These projects are important not simply as roads, but as economic connections that can improve access to markets, agriculture, tourism and communities across the state.
These are more than roads. They are investments in connectivity, trade, tourism, agriculture, security and the movement of people and goods.
The Tinubu Administration is also paying particular attention to Taraba's enormous agricultural, energy and mineral potential. At the 2025 Taraba International Investment Summit, President Tinubu reaffirmed the Federal Government's vision to position Taraba as a centre of agricultural productivity, energy generation and mineral resource development.
The Federal Government has equally reaffirmed its commitment to the Mambilla Hydroelectric Power Project, recognising the strategic importance of Taraba's energy potential to Nigeria's wider industrial development. These interventions complement the development vision contained in the Master Plan we are unveiling today.
There is also an important security dimension to this development agenda. Taraba's size, terrain and extensive border communities make effective grassroots security particularly important.
This is why the Federal Government is advancing the establishment of State Police as part of a broader reform of Nigeria's security architecture. Significant progress has already been made, with President Tinubu transmitting a constitutional amendment bill on State Police to the National Assembly following consultations among the Executive, legislature and security authorities.
The proposed framework is intended to bring policing closer to the people while maintaining professional standards, accountability and safeguards against abuse. For a state such as Taraba, where communities are spread across difficult terrain and where local knowledge is essential to effective policing, a properly regulated State Police structure has the potential to strengthen intelligence gathering, improve response times and deepen community engagement.
The Federal Government has also taken a major step in strengthening the conventional security architecture in the state with the establishment of 10 Division of the Nigerian Army, headquartered in Jalingo, with operational responsibility for Taraba and Adamawa States. The Division is currently being operationalised.
Security and development must go together. People cannot invest, farmers cannot move their produce, tourists cannot visit and businesses cannot grow where communities feel unsafe.
For Taraba, the opportunities are immense. Its agricultural potential can contribute significantly to food security and agro-processing. Its natural and tourism assets can attract investment and create jobs, while improved infrastructure and energy access can open new economic opportunities.
But development must ultimately be about people. Young people must find opportunities. Women must have greater economic inclusion. Farmers and small businesses must be connected to markets. And communities across the state must feel that development belongs to them.
This is also the thinking behind the Federal Government's economic reforms. The removal of the petrol subsidy was a difficult decision, but it has created additional fiscal space for governments at all levels. Between June 2023 and December 2025, the Federal Government reported that subsidy reform mobilised ₦15.8 trillion in additional resources for the Federation, with approximately ₦5.4 trillion accruing to the Federal Government and ₦10.4 trillion to states and local governments.
These resources are helping to strengthen investments in infrastructure, education, healthcare, security and human capital. The position of the Federal Government is therefore clear: Nigeria should not return to a subsidy regime that has repeatedly weakened public finances and distorted the petroleum market. The priority is to consolidate the gains of reform, protect vulnerable Nigerians and ensure that the resources released translate into visible improvements in people's lives.
There is still much work to be done, but the direction must remain towards building an economy that can create jobs, support businesses and finance essential public services sustainably.
This is where communication becomes critical. Information is not an afterthought to development. It is part of development itself.
At the Federal Ministry of Information and National Orientation, we are committed to ensuring that government policies and programmes are communicated accurately, clearly and in ways that citizens can understand. We must not only tell citizens what the government is doing; we must also listen to them, address their concerns and encourage their participation.
I therefore look forward to an even stronger partnership between the Federal Ministry of Information and National Orientation and the Taraba State Ministry of Information and Re-Orientation.
The vision contained in this Master Plan must go beyond government offices. It must reach the farmer, the entrepreneur, the student, the trader and communities across Taraba, because a plan for Taraba must ultimately be a plan owned by the people of Taraba.
Your Excellency, as Taraba begins its next chapter, I encourage the state to remain focused on implementation. 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.
As we celebrate 35 years of Taraba State, let us therefore celebrate not only what Taraba has been, but what Taraba can become.
The Federal Government stands ready to continue working with the Taraba State Government and all stakeholders to advance sustainable development, national unity and inclusive prosperity.
I congratulate His Excellency, Governor Agbu Kefas, the government and people of Taraba State on this important anniversary, and I commend everyone who contributed to the development of this Master Plan.
Thirty-five years of history. A new blueprint for the future. And a renewed commitment to building the Taraba we want and the Nigeria we deserve.
Happy 35th anniversary to the great people of Taraba State.
May Taraba continue to prosper.
May Nigeria continue to grow in peace and unity.
Thank you.
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