The Minister of Information and National Orientation, Mohammed Idris, has underscored the critical importance of robust collaboration between state governments and the Federal Government in advancing the nation’s developmental agenda.
The Minister, who stated this when the inaugural commercial flight from the Bola Ahmed Tinubu International Airport, Minna, landed at the Nnamdi Azikiwe International Airport Abuja, emphasized that sustainable national progress can only be achieved when all tiers of government work in synergy, pooling resources, aligning policies, and coordinating efforts to deliver impactful governance to the Nigerian people.
The Bola Ahmed Tinubu International Airport, Minna was built by the administration of Umaru Bago in Niger State and named after the President.
“One of the key issues that we need to talk about is the kind of collaboration that Mr. President is always talking about between the Federal Government and the sub-nationals. This is one great example that Niger State has shown that the states can indeed come together with the Federal Government to collaborate in order to bring prosperity to Nigerians,” he said.
The inaugural commercial flight, Overland Air with Registration Number 5N-CCN landed at the Nnamdi Azikiwe International Airport at 1:32pm conveying the first set of passengers including the Niger State Governor, Mr. Umaru Bago, Minister of Information and National Orientation, Mohammed Idris, former Niger State Governor, Dr. Babangida Aliyu, the Minister of State for Agriculture and Food Security, Senator Aliyu Sabi Abdullahi and other top government officials.
The Minister expressed profound appreciation to President Tinubu for providing the enabling environment that facilitated the successful commencement of operations at the Bola Ahmed Tinubu International Airport in Minna.
He noted that this milestone reflects the President’s unwavering commitment to infrastructural development and improved connectivity across the country.
The Minister also commended Governor Bago, for his visionary leadership in opening up the Niger State for agricultural development, commercial activities, industrial growth, and overall economic prosperity.
He described Governor Bago’s efforts as a demonstration of uncommon passion and dedication to the advancement of Niger State and the well-being of its people.
“We have to appreciate our president like our Governor has said. This is indeed a dream come true. The Governor has indeed made this to happen. He is so passionate about opening up Niger State for agriculture, commerce, industry and prosperity,” he said.
In his remarks, Governor Bago said the inaugural flight was aimed at opening Niger State to the world.
“The management of Overland has been very gracious to give us this brand new aircraft from Lagos to Minna and now from Minna to Abuja and this will happen three times a week; Mondays, Wednesdays and Fridays. This is route opening flight – opening Niger State to the skies of the world.
“We want to thank President Bola Ahmed Tinubu, who the airport is named after for giving us all the enablements,” he said.
He stated that Niger State intends to harness its comparative advantage in agriculture by exporting agricultural produce through the Bola Ahmed Tinubu International Airport, thereby enhancing the state’s economic potential and positioning it as a key player in agro-exportation.
Rabiu Ibrahim
Special Assistant (Media) to the Minister of Information and National Orientation.
April 23, 2025
