Science Minister: Government Achievements Must Deliver Impact

The Minister of Innovation, Science and Technology, Dr Kingsley Tochukwu Udeh, has said the achievements of the President Bola Tinubu administration must be measured by their impact on Nigerians rather than political slogans or isolated project announcements.

Udeh stated this on Friday at the unveiling of Nigeria Forward, a socio-political platform he convened to mobilise citizens around national development, unity and the consolidation of the administration’s policies and programmes.

The minister said citizens must be able to identify what the government was building, where projects were located, the problems they were addressing, who was benefiting from them and the opportunities they were creating.

He said the platform would engage Nigerians at the grassroots to assess how government policies and projects were affecting their lives and communities.

According to him, “We must ask the more important questions: What is being built? Where is it? What problem does it solve? Who benefits? What opportunities does it create? What has been completed? What is ongoing? And what remains to be done?

“This is the essence of informed citizenship.”

Udeh said Nigeria’s development story, particularly in the North, should not be reduced to political slogans or isolated project announcements, stressing that government programmes must be connected to tangible improvements in the lives of citizens.

He said the success of a road project, for instance, should be assessed by its ability to enable farmers to access markets, while railway infrastructure should be measured by its impact on the cost of transporting goods.

The minister also linked reliable energy to increased productive capacity and digital connectivity to opportunities for young Nigerians to participate in the global economy.

He said Nigeria Forward would serve as a bridge between government policies and citizens, investment and opportunity, as well as citizens and institutions.

Udeh said the platform would focus particularly on innovation, digital transformation, youth development, skills, enterprise and evidence-based public engagement.

He said Nigeria possessed significant human capital, entrepreneurial energy, agricultural potential and access to domestic and regional markets, adding that the challenge was to convert those assets into productive capacity and sustainable opportunities.

The minister stressed that supporting the government should not mean abandoning accountability.

“We must celebrate progress where progress has occurred, acknowledge challenges where they remain, and distinguish between what has been proposed, approved, commenced, completed, and delivered.

“Patriotism does not require us to abandon accountability. Indeed, responsible citizenship demands both,” he said.

Udeh urged the leadership of Nigeria Forward to mobilise across the country and make evidence, inclusiveness, innovation and national unity the foundation of the platform.

He also called for responsible mobilisation ahead of the 2027 general elections, urging members to engage citizens on the impact of government policies while identifying challenges requiring government attention.

He said the platform’s campaign should contribute to national development and support the consolidation of the Tinubu administration.

Also speaking, the Kano State Commissioner for Information and Internal Affairs, Ibrahim Waiya, said Nigeria Forward was founded around two major objectives: national unity and the consolidation of what he described as development gains under the Tinubu administration.

Waiya urged Nigerians to move beyond complaints and engage the government with concrete demands and proposals for addressing challenges.

He said democracy required citizens to participate actively by telling elected leaders what they wanted and holding them accountable.

The commissioner also argued that state and local governments should share responsibility for development rather than leaving the responsibility solely to the Federal Government.

He urged citizens to examine what sub-national governments were doing with increased allocations.

Waiya further expressed support for the establishment of state police structures, saying Kano State had already established a State Police Implementation Committee.

He said Nigeria Forward would seek to turn citizens’ demands into action and encourage Nigerians, particularly in the North, to engage the government on concrete development issues.

Earlier, Chairman of the Nigeria Forward Project in Kaura Namoda, Zamfara State, Hon. Mannir Mu’aza Haidara, welcomed participants to the unveiling.

Haidara described Nigeria Forward as a platform for constructive engagement, mobilisation and collaboration among citizens committed to peace, stability and sustainable national development.

He acknowledged the leadership of Udeh and Waiya, as well as other guests, supporters and members of the initiative.

He said the platform was founded by Nigerians who wanted to contribute differently to the country’s socio-political development.

Haidara urged well-meaning Nigerians to join the initiative in promoting a united, peaceful, prosperous and forward-looking Nigeria.