The Tinubu Media Support Group (TMSG) has described President Bola Tinubu’s five port trade corridor initiative as a strategic integrated transport and logistics network capable of spreading investment, economic growth and development across Nigeria.
In a statement signed by its Chairman, Emeka Nwankpa, and Secretary, Dapo Okubanjo, the group said the initiative would create a more conducive environment for investment while repositioning Nigeria as a major maritime and logistics gateway to West and Central Africa.
TMSG said the plan, which links major deep sea ports in Lagos, Ondo, Akwa Ibom, Port Harcourt and Calabar, is built around an integrated network of roads, railways and maritime infrastructure.
According to the group, the ongoing LagosCalabar Coastal Highway is central to the initiative, providing a major road connection to the five ports, while other strategic rail and road projects would extend the trade corridors to northern Nigeria and landlocked markets across the Sahel.
“When President Bola Tinubu came up with the idea of reviving the Lagos-Calabar Coastal Highway, little did many Nigerians know that it was part of a larger plan for a nationwide integrated trade corridor,” TMSG said.
The group listed the Lagos-Kano, Kaduna-Kano, Abuja-Kaduna and Kano-Maradi rail corridors among the projects expected to strengthen connectivity between the ports, northern commercial centres and landlocked trade hubs.
It also identified the Sokoto-Badagry Expressway as a key component of the western corridor, with the long term objective of improving Nigeria’s access to markets in Niger, Chad, Burkina Faso, Sudan and the Central African Republic.
TMSG said an eastern corridor, anchored by the proposed Port Harcourt-Maiduguri rail line, would also help connect the country’s eastern maritime gateways with northern Nigeria.
The group further noted the importance of the Ajaokuta-Kaduna-Kano (AKK) gas project, originally flagged off under former President Muhammadu Buhari, in supporting the broader economic infrastructure being pursued by the Tinubu administration.
According to TMSG, the five-port initiative goes beyond transportation infrastructure, as its ultimate objective is to stimulate economic activity along the various corridors.
“At the heart of the Tinubu five-port initiative is an integrated maritime, rail, road and logistics network to not only reposition Nigeria as a major gateway to African markets, but to also create direct and indirect jobs as well as spread national development,” it said.
The group projected that the initiative would stimulate local economies along the trade routes and attract investments in warehousing, logistics, manufacturing, distribution and agro-processing.
TMSG said improved connectivity between ports, production centres and regional markets would ultimately enhance national productivity and reduce logistical barriers to trade.
“What the President is doing with this pro business initiative is to create a legacy for posterity and put Nigeria firmly on the path to a $1 trillion economy,” the group said.
It drew parallels between the initiative and Tinubu’s record as Lagos State governor, arguing that his administration’s infrastructure and investment policies helped create an environment that contributed to the emergence of major projects in the Lekki corridor, including the Dangote Refinery and Lekki Deep Sea Port.
TMSG said the five port trade corridor, if successfully implemented, could become a major driver of Nigeria’s long term economic transformation by connecting communities, markets and industries while attracting new investment across the country.
