The Tinubu Media Support Group (TMSG) has described President Bola Tinubu’s five-port trade corridor initiative as a creative and strategic concept capable of accelerating economic growth, spreading development and improving national productivity.
The group said the initiative, which is built around an integrated network of maritime, road and rail infrastructure, would create a more conducive environment for investment and unlock new economic opportunities across the country.
In a statement signed by its Chairman, Emeka Nwankpa, and Secretary, Dapo Okubanjo, TMSG said the initiative represented part of a broader vision to reposition Nigeria as a major maritime gateway and logistics hub for West and Central Africa.
The group noted that President Tinubu’s decision to revive the Lagos-Calabar Coastal Highway was part of a larger plan to develop a nationwide integrated trade corridor linking major deep-sea ports in Lagos, Ondo, Akwa Ibom, Port Harcourt and Calabar.
“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,” the group said.
According to TMSG, the coastal highway, together with the Sokoto-Badagry Expressway, would play a critical role in connecting the country’s maritime gateways with major commercial centres and landlocked markets across the region.
It said the coastal highway would provide a major road link to the five ports, while rail corridors including Lagos-Kano, Kaduna-Kano, Abuja-Kaduna and Kano-Maradi would connect the Lagos end of the network to landlocked trade hubs in the Sahel.
The group said the long-term objective was to connect Nigeria’s ports with markets in countries including Niger, Chad, Burkina Faso, Sudan and the Central African Republic, thereby strengthening Nigeria’s position as a regional trade and logistics hub.
TMSG also highlighted what it described as the importance of the Eastern Corridor, particularly the Port Harcourt-Maiduguri rail line, in linking eastern maritime gateways with northern Nigeria and integrating the country’s various economic zones.
It further noted the role of the Ajaokuta-Kaduna-Kano (AKK) gas project, which was initiated under former President Muhammadu Buhari but is being pursued to completion by the Tinubu administration.
“We make bold to say that 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,” TMSG said.
The group expressed confidence that the initiative would stimulate local economies along the various trade corridors and ultimately improve national productivity.
It added that the development would attract investments into sectors such as warehousing, logistics, manufacturing, distribution and agro-processing, while creating opportunities for businesses and communities along the routes.
“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.
TMSG also drew parallels between the initiative and Tinubu’s record as Lagos State governor, arguing that his administration’s efforts to create an investment-friendly environment contributed to the emergence of major economic projects around the Lekki axis.
It cited the Lekki Free Trade Zone, the Dangote Refinery and the Lekki Deep Sea Port as examples of landmark projects that have strengthened Lagos’ position as a major economic and investment destination.
The group maintained that the five-port trade corridor, if successfully implemented and sustained, could similarly transform economic activity across several parts of Nigeria by linking ports, production centres, markets and regional trade routes into an integrated national logistics network.
