Abuja, May 26, 2026 — The Federal Government has announced plans to strengthen public awareness of development initiatives across Northern Nigeria by improving communication, increasing citizen engagement and providing regular updates on major projects in the region.
The disclosure was made by Hadiza Bala-Usman, Special Adviser to the President on Policy Coordination, during a summit organised by the Northern Project Coordination Office (NPCO) for student union leaders drawn from tertiary institutions in the 19 northern states.
According to Bala-Usman, the initiative is aimed at ensuring residents are adequately informed about ongoing projects, their progress and areas that require further intervention from government authorities.
She explained that the effort would also help assess achievements recorded in the region while identifying projects that are yet to be completed.
Bala-Usman encouraged the student leaders to prepare themselves for future leadership roles by developing skills and knowledge that would enable them contribute meaningfully to governance and national development.
She highlighted several projects currently underway in the North, including the Abuja-Kaduna-Kano highway, railway modernisation programmes, renewable energy initiatives, healthcare improvements and agricultural support schemes.
The presidential aide also stated that students from Northern Nigeria account for the highest number of beneficiaries under the Nigerian Education Loan Fund (NELFUND).
Speaking at the event, Abdulaziz Abdulaziz, Senior Special Assistant to the President on Media and Public Enlightenment, said the current administration had maintained stability in tertiary institutions by preventing disruptions to academic activities.
He noted that universities across the country had largely remained open since President Bola Tinubu assumed office, unlike previous years marked by prolonged industrial actions.
Abdulaziz added that the administration had addressed long-standing concerns involving the Academic Staff Union of Universities (ASUU), improved university autonomy and expanded access to student loan opportunities.
He described the student loan programme as a major intervention designed to support financially disadvantaged students and increase access to higher education.
Also speaking, NELFUND Managing Director, Akintunde Sawyerr, represented by the agency’s Head of Risk, Umar Mukhtar, revealed that nearly two million students nationwide had benefited from both institutional and upkeep loans under the scheme.
Mukhtar said more than one million of the beneficiaries were from Northern Nigeria, adding that reforms introduced by the Tinubu administration removed several obstacles in the original law, including guarantor conditions and income limitations.
He said the loan application process had been simplified through a digital platform that allows students to apply directly using their mobile devices without physical contact with officials.
On energy reforms, the Chief Executive Officer of the Presidential Initiative on Compressed Natural Gas and Electric Vehicles (PI-CNG+EV), Ismaeel Ahmed, said the programme was introduced to reduce the impact of fuel subsidy removal on Nigerians.
Represented by the initiative’s Head of Brand and Communications, Onyekachi Eke, Ahmed disclosed that more than 300 vehicle conversion centres and over 58 refuelling stations had been established across the country.
He added that over 100,000 vehicles had already been converted to compressed natural gas under the programme.
Earlier in his remarks, NPCO Coordinator, Shamsuddeen Ahmad, said the summit was organised to strengthen communication between government agencies and students in northern tertiary institutions.
He explained that the engagement was intended to keep students informed about government reforms while encouraging their participation in national development discussions.