No details have been disclosed on how the influencers would be recruited, what they would be paid, or when the program would begin. That absence of specifics sits at the center of a plan the Works Minister, David Umahi, described Tuesday in language that blended infrastructure delivery with electoral strategy.
Umahi confirmed the initiative in Abuja while receiving a report from the National Association of Nigerian Students on its inspection of federal road projects across four northern states. The student body submitted findings covering road conditions, construction progress, and project accessibility across the visited corridors. The states covered by the student inspection were Kano, Jigawa, Kaduna, and Sokoto.
He said the initiative was aimed at ensuring that Nigerians, particularly young people, had access to first-hand information on ongoing and completed federal infrastructure projects across the country. Young Nigerians, Umahi said, were the primary audience the government needed to reach.
“We have to fight this social media war,” Umahi said. “We have to launch 4,000 social media influencers to tell our stories. I want you to advise me on how to do it.” The minister asked the student leaders directly for input on implementing the plan.
Umahi added, “If you don’t say ‘I am,’ nobody will tell you who you are.” The remark came as he explained why the government needed to take a more active role in shaping how its projects were perceived online, particularly on platforms such as X, formerly Twitter, and TikTok, where criticism of government spending has been widespread.
Umahi described President Bola Tinubu as an infrastructure president, saying construction activities were ongoing across different parts of the country. He told the student leaders the administration had enough on the ground to make its case publicly.
The minister said, “Tell me any way in this country, any region that is not a construction site. And so, we have enough to campaign for the President.” The use of the word “campaign” came without qualification in his remarks to the students.
Beyond the influencer plan, the student leaders had identified infrastructure and safety concerns around tertiary institutions and requested pedestrian bridges to improve access and protect students. The request was presented as part of NANS’s formal recommendations following its four-state inspection, with student leaders citing the risk posed to pedestrians by heavy construction traffic near campuses. Umahi told his directors to note the pedestrian bridge requests on the spot.
He said the government would consider constructing pedestrian bridges around university campuses following concerns raised by NANS during its inspection. No timeline was given for those structures.
Umahi also said the main pavement covering 105 kilometers of the Lagos-Calabar Coastal Highway is expected to be completed by November 2026. That deadline applies to the current construction section of the project, which is being handled by Hitech Construction Company, the firm awarded the contract by the federal government.
The minister raised concerns over vandalism along the highway, including the destruction of infrastructure and removal of safety installations. He said he had personally seen the damage during a weekend visit to Lagos.
“People have been destroying the infrastructure,” Umahi said, urging Nigerians to protect public infrastructure and warning that vandalism could undermine the benefits of government investments. He cited vehicles driving through construction camps and the cutting of iron installations.
The Lagos-Calabar Coastal Highway has faced scrutiny over its alignment, environmental impact assessment, and concerns about flooding in Lagos, with the Federal Government rejecting claims that the highway caused flooding. Umahi has maintained that the project includes drainage infrastructure designed to manage water flow.
The minister asked NANS to advise the ministry on how young people and social media could be used to communicate the impact of federal projects. Whether the student body will play a formal role in the proposed influencer network was not clarified at the meeting.
