Becky Momodu
The Minister of Information and National Orientation, Mohammed Idris, has said that the Federal Government is set to implement one of the world’s largest Distributed Access Renewable Energy Scale-up projects (DARES).
The Minister disclosed this at the press conference to commemorate Nigeria’s 65th Independence Anniversary, themed “All Hands On Deck”, held on Monday 29th September 2025, at the National Press Center, Radio House, Abuja.
Idris said the project, which is a $750 million World Bank supported program, will deliver clean and off-grid electricity to over 17.5 million citizens.
Recounting the progress made in boosting power supply, the Minister further disclosed that the administration of President Bola Ahmed Tinubu has revived the 255MW Kaduna Power Plant.
He also stated that the Presidential Power Initiative known as “Siemens Power Project”, is currently having a vital collaboration between the FG and the Presidential Metering Initiative, to deliver 7 million smart meters to close the metering gap by 2027.
Highlighting key progress in other critical sectors, Idris said Nigeria’s deep water oil and gas exploration have exceeded 5 billion dollars.
“In oil and gas, the progress is unprecedented. We have seen a steady increase in oil production to meet our OPEC quota, and equally steady reduction in oil losses to a 16-year low”, he stated.
The Minister also highlighted the landmark road projects being undertaken by the Tinubu-led administration, including the 1,068-kilometre Sokoto-Badagry Superhighway; the 750-kilometre Lagos-Calabar Coastal Highway; the 477-kilometre Trans-Saharan Highway traversing Calabar, Ebonyi, Kogi, Benue, Nasarawa, and the FCT; and the 422-kilometer Akwanga-Jos-Bauchi-Gombe Expressway.
Complementing these are the high-impact rail projects: the Kano-Kaduna standard gauge rail, and the renewed push for the rehabilitation of the Eastern Corridor of the rail line from Port Harcourt to Maiduguri.
Speaking also, the Secretary to the Government of the Fedration, Sen. George Akume explained that Independence Day is more than a ceremonial date on our national calendar.
Emphasizing that it is a profound opportunity for us to reflect on how far we have come as a people, celebrate our resilience, and renew our commitment to the ideals of unity, peace, and progress which our founding fathers fought so valiantly to secure.
He noted that this year’s celebration anchored on the theme: “Nigeria at 65: All Hands on Deck for a Greater Nation”, is both a reminder and a charge.
“It reminds us that the responsibility of building a greater Nigeria is not the task of government alone, but a responsibility for every citizen comprising the youth and elder, men and women, public servants and private entrepreneurs, farmers and professionals, teachers, military and para-military, traders and artisans as well as those at home and in the diaspora.
“All hands must indeed be on deck for us to realize the Nigeria we envision which is a nation united in purpose, rich in diversity, and resolute in progress”, he said.