The Federal Government has reaffirmed its commitment to working with the Taraba Government to harness the state’s potential in agriculture, energy, tourism, infrastructure and mineral resources.
The Minister of Information and National Orientation, Mohammed Idris, stated this on Thursday in Jalingo at a gala night marking Taraba’s 35th anniversary and the unveiling of the Taraba Regional Development Master Plan.
Idris described the master plan as an important blueprint for sustainable development, urging sustained implementation to ensure its impact on the people.
“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,” he said.
The minister commended Gov. Agbu Kefas for adopting a long-term development framework, noting that Taraba remained one of Nigeria’s promising economic frontiers.
He said the state had huge opportunities in agriculture and agro-processing, livestock, hydropower, tourism, manufacturing and mineral development.
Idris also highlighted the state government’s investments in education, healthcare, infrastructure and security, including the provision of more than N1.8 billion in 2026 for NECO, BECE and NABTEB examination registration for public-school students.
He said about 268 million dollars in financing agreements had also been signed between the state and the ECOWAS Bank for Investment and Development for an integrated industrial park, 10,000 hectares of irrigated rice production and processing, and a 50-megawatt solar power plant in Jalingo.
According to him, the Federal Government is complementing the state’s development efforts through major road projects, including Gembu–Mbamnga–Yang (Lip), Bali–Serti–Gashaka–Gembu and interventions on the Jalingo–Mutum Biyu–Tella–Wukari corridor.
“These are more than roads. They are investments in connectivity, trade, tourism, agriculture, security and the movement of people and goods,” Idris said.
He reaffirmed the Federal Government’s commitment to the Mambilla Hydroelectric Power Project and other initiatives aimed at harnessing Taraba’s energy and mineral resources.
On security, Idris said the Federal Government was advancing reforms toward the establishment of State Police to bring policing closer to communities while ensuring professionalism and accountability.
He said the establishment of the Nigerian Army’s 10 Division, headquartered in Jalingo, was also evidence of the Federal Government’s commitment to strengthening security in the region.
“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,” he said.
The minister said the Federal Government’s economic reforms had mobilised N15.8 trillion in additional resources for the Federation between June 2023 and December 2025 following the removal of petrol subsidy.
He said about N5.4 trillion accrued to the Federal Government, while N10.4 trillion went to states and local governments.
Idris said the Federal Government remained opposed to a return to the previous subsidy regime, stressing that the focus was to consolidate reforms, protect vulnerable Nigerians and ensure that public resources translated into tangible development.
He also pledged stronger collaboration between the Federal Ministry of Information and National Orientation and the Taraba Ministry of Information and Re-Orientation to promote public understanding of the master plan.
“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,” he said.
In his remarks, Kefas called for continuity in governance, saying his administration would build on previous achievements, correct what needed to be corrected and complete worthy projects.
“Government must be a continuum. Development must be cumulative. Taraba is bigger than any government, any administration, any political party, any ethnic group, or any individual,” he said.
Kefas urged former leaders and other stakeholders to continue contributing their experience to the peace, unity and development of the state.
