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By Stella Odueme
The Tinubu Media Support Group (TMSG) has commended President Bola Tinubu’s five-port trade corridor initiative, describing it as a strategic investment that will accelerate economic growth, attract investments and promote balanced national development.
The group said the initiative, which integrates road, rail, maritime and logistics infrastructure, would strengthen Nigeria’s position as a major trade gateway to West and Central Africa while improving national productivity.
In a statement signed by its Chairman, Emeka Nwankpa, and Secretary, Dapo Okubanjo, TMSG said the plan would create an enabling environment for businesses and unlock investment opportunities across the country.
The group explained that the Lagos-Calabar Coastal Highway, initially viewed by many Nigerians as a standalone infrastructure project, was part of a broader vision to establish a nationwide integrated trade corridor.
According to TMSG, the network will connect major deep-sea ports in Lagos, Ondo, Akwa Ibom, Port Harcourt and Calabar through road, rail and maritime infrastructure.
It said the initiative would link Nigeria’s maritime gateways with landlocked trade hubs in the Sahel and other parts of Africa, including Niger, Chad, Burkina Faso, Sudan and the Central African Republic.
TMSG stated that the Lagos-Calabar Coastal Highway and the Sokoto-Badagry Expressway would serve as key road links supporting the integrated corridor from opposite ends of the country.
It added that rail projects, including the Lagos-Kano, Kaduna-Kano, Abuja-Kaduna and Kano-Maradi corridors, would strengthen connectivity between the ports and inland commercial centres.
The group also identified the proposed Port Harcourt-Maiduguri rail corridor as an important component of the Eastern Corridor, linking eastern maritime gateways with northern Nigeria.
It further noted the strategic importance of the Ajaokuta-Kaduna-Kano (AKK) gas project, initiated under former President Muhammadu Buhari and being advanced by the Tinubu administration.
TMSG said the integrated infrastructure network would stimulate economic activity along the various routes and create opportunities for businesses in several sectors.
The statement partly read: “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.
“For us, this initiative which is already in progress will stimulate local economies across the various routes of the integrated trade corridors and ultimately improve national productivity.”
The group projected that the initiative would attract investments in warehousing, logistics, manufacturing, distribution and agro-processing, thereby creating employment and expanding economic opportunities.
It said the President’s pro-business approach was aimed at laying the foundation for a $1 trillion economy and establishing a lasting legacy of economic transformation.
TMSG drew parallels between the initiative and Tinubu’s achievements as Lagos State governor, particularly the development of infrastructure and investment opportunities that helped pave the way for the Lekki Free Trade Zone.
The group cited the Dangote Refinery and Lekki Deep Sea Port among the landmark projects associated with the economic transformation of Lagos.
It expressed confidence that the five-port trade corridor would similarly unlock the economic potential of communities along its routes and contribute to sustainable national development.