August 15, 2025
By Ayinde Adeleke
The Minister of Information and National Orientation, Mohammed Idris, has called on entrepreneurs in the Southeast to tap into the Federal Government’s ₦200 billion intervention funds to expand their businesses and promote locally made products.
Idris made the appeal during a town hall meeting at the Government House in Enugu weekend as part of the National Communication Team’s citizens’ engagement tour to explain the Renewed Hope Agenda of President Bola Ahmed Tinubu.
He said the funds—comprising the Presidential Conditional Grant Scheme (PCGS), the FGN MSME Intervention Fund, and the FGN Manufacturing Sector Fund—were specially designed to support small businesses, boost manufacturing, and strengthen the country’s industrial base.
“Recognising the Southeast’s industrial strength, the government has created three key business funds totalling ₦200 billion. I urge entrepreneurs to take advantage of these funds and embrace the ‘Nigeria First’ policy that promotes patronage of locally made products,” Idris stated.
He said the FG’s delegation was in Enugu to connect directly with the people of the state on the Renewed Hope Agenda of President Bola Tinubu, whose goal is to bridge the communication gap between the government and the citizens, block the spread of misinformation and strengthen participatory democracy through open dialogue.
The Minister highlighted ongoing Federal Government projects in Enugu and by extension the Southeast the region, including the modernization of the Eastern Railway Corridor from Port Harcourt through Aba and Enugu to Maiduguri, the rehabilitation of over 1,000 primary healthcare centres, and the commissioning of a world-class oncology and cancer centre in Enugu.
“Today, we went to see all the roads linking Enugu to other parts of the Southeast, Southsouth and the North; we went to see the 350 meters flyover bridge at Eke Obinagu and all the projects which the Bola Tinubu led federal government is doing in Enugu and in deed Southeast.
“The flyover bridge at Eke Obinagu is significant because it connects Enugu to Ebonyi state, to Akwa Ibom, Cross River and even to the Cameroon. The bridge is almost being completed by President Bola Tinubu and we know it is what he promised and very soon the people of this state and their neighbours will benefit from the project upon completion,” he said.
He also commended Governor Peter Mbah for his administration’s collaboration with the Federal Government to deliver infrastructure and other development projects in Enugu State.
Idris noted that Enugu and Imo were among 11 states granted regulatory autonomy to oversee their electricity markets under the new Electricity Act, urging other South-East states to follow suit.
According to him, economic indicators such as food prices and foreign exchange rates are stabilizing, with global rating agencies optimistic about Nigeria’s growth towards a $1 trillion economy by 2030.
The minister assured that while challenges remain, President Tinubu’s reforms would yield clearer benefits by the end of his first term, with the Southeast positioned as a key player in the nation’s economic transformation.
