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Inclusion is an inexorable ingredient for national cohesion. It is an ideal that demands deliberate and methodical enactment. It is largely potent, not as an abstract concept, but as the praxis for promoting peace and harmony and holding it all together at the umbilicus.
The Tinubu administration has been conscientious and pragmatic about building an egalitarian Nigeria; a nation where ethinc or religious complexion does not supplant excellence and performance; a nation where no Nigerian will need to know anyone to enjoy the harvests of good governance; a nation where all are equal before the law; God and man; a nation where that orphan, Chinedu, in the quiet town of Obosi, can enjoy higher education without the constraints of finance; a nation where all citizens regardless of their tongue, tribe, or religion matter in the minutest scheme of things.
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It is reductive to abridge or pigeonhole the conversation on inclusion. It is broader as an ideal. It is all-encompassing; affecting all facets of society.
In terms of appointments, the lineup is balanced and well-spread, especially matching diversity with competence and character. More importantly, as regards the policies, programmes, and projects of the administration, all Nigerians enjoy equal patrimony.
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For instance, the Consumer Credit Scheme has beneficiaries drawn from different working strata and diverse taxonomy.
The Nigerian Education Loan Fund (NELFUND) has over 200,000 beneficiaries drawn from across universities in all the geo-political zones, with over N32 billion disbursed as of February.
The free C-Sections for women in need and the president’s approval of an 80 per cent subsidy on kidney dialysis, reducing the cost from N50,000 to N12,000 per session, are tangible initiatives that directly impact the lives of Nigerians of all phyla.
These programmes and initiatives are implemented across the geo-political zones with absolute fidelity to the sworn oath of fostering unity, peace, and progress.
It is important to mention that under the N50 billion Presidential Conditional Grant Scheme for one million nano-businesses spread across 774 local government areas, with a minimum of 1,000 beneficiaries, over N41 billion has been disbursed to over 828,564 beneficiaries across all the local government areas.
Also, under the FGN N75 billion MSME Intervention Fund, N659,376,800 has been disbursed to 714 beneficiaries. This is in an effort to support young Nigerians and, most importantly, the live-wire of the economy, MSMEs.
The President recently signed some regional development commission bills, giving every zone the muscle to accelerate its development. This shows even-handedness and large-heartedness.
In terms of roads and other infrastructural projects, they are equitably distributed, with work going on on roads across all geo-political zones — the Abuja-Kaduna-Kano highway, the Sokoto-Badagry road, Enugu-Port Harcourt dual carriageway 2, the Lagos-Calabar Coastal highway, and many others.
The Tinubu administration is building an inclusive society where everyone has a sense of belonging not just in the psychological sense of it but also in the very essence of life, making sure the benefits of governance percolate to every man and woman — even to the last man.
Fredrick Nwabufo is senior special assistant to the president on Public Engagement.
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