Tinubu Pledges Parako-Enugu Rail Link, Infrastructure Support for Enugu State

President Bola Tinubu has committed federal backing for the long-awaited Parako to Enugu rail corridor, describing the project as essential to unlocking the economic potential of the South East region. The pledge came Tuesday during a meeting with a delegation of Enugu State political leaders at the Presidential Villa in Abuja.

Receiving the delegation led by Governor Peter Mbah, Tinubu acknowledged Enugu’s persistent requests for federal infrastructure investment and promised additional attention to power sector reforms and broader economic development.

“On the matter you raised, the rails from Parako to Enugu, the power sector reforms, the infrastructure that is the backbone of economic development, I noted it. I will do more,” Tinubu said.

The President attributed Nigeria’s historical infrastructure gap partly to a structural financing mismatch. “What has been the problem in the past is a Nigeria that is trying to finance long-term projects with short-term funding. We have not embarked on a serious, long-term outlook for our country,” he stated.

Tinubu also took aim at previous administrations over power sector privatisation, saying, “You have leaders who privatised electricity that is not working. They gave us darkness and descent, and we are trying to get ourselves through that to build a nation of bright hope and joyful people.”

He praised Mbah’s performance in Enugu, calling him a transformative leader. “You have been a transformative leader, and we genuinely appreciate what is evolving in Enugu today in a manner that we are witnessing the rapid development of the state. The results you have outlined in security, infrastructure, education and healthcare are not abstract. They are the evidence that reform is working, that difficult decisions are yielding real outcomes, and that Nigeria is moving forward,” Tinubu said.

Mbah, who won the Enugu governorship on the platform of the Peoples Democratic Party in 2023 before defecting to the All Progressives Congress in October 2025, led a delegation that included three former governors, a former Senate President, two sitting senators and other political figures from the state.

Addressing the President, Mbah said the visit was intended to express solidarity with Tinubu’s vision and gratitude for federal investments in Enugu. He cited projects inaugurated during Tinubu’s January 2025 visit to the state as evidence of tangible support.

“This visit is symbolic because it speaks to our shared future and a commitment to progress. We have come to express our deepest gratitude for your engagement and investment in the people of Enugu State,” Mbah said. He declared that the state would back Tinubu’s re-election in 2027.

Former Senate President Ken Nnamani echoed the sentiment, stating, “The entire population of Enugu State, of more than seven million people, would have loved to come here to say a big thank you, Mr President. You will benefit tremendously from the support.”

Tinubu, in his closing remarks, urged the delegation to remain focused despite political opposition. “Stay focused. When you are succeeding, and they are angry, leave them in their corner. Stay focused and believe in yourself as you have been doing,” he said.