The Secretary to the Government of the Federation (SGF), Sen. George Akume, says President Bola Tinubu’s administration will remain focused on consolidating reforms, deepening stability and delivering economic growth that improves Nigerians’ lives.
Akume stated this in Abuja on Thursday at a news conference organised ahead of Nigeria’s 66th Independence Anniversary, themed, “From Reforms to Stability: Consolidating Nigeria’s Renewed Hope for Shared Prosperity.”
He said the anniversary provided an opportunity for Nigerians to reflect on the country’s 66-year journey, acknowledge its challenges and renew their commitment to national unity and development.
“For 66 years, we have been one country, and it is our complete duty, my resolve as leaders, communities, and citizens, to keep Nigeria strong and united,” Akume said.
The SGF said Nigeria’s history had been marked by struggles as well as remarkable achievements, adding that the country had continued to endure despite the difficulties it had faced.
According to him, Nigeria at 66 years old remains a land of great promise and opportunities.
“Our history has had struggles, but also remarkable achievements and successes. Through them all, Nigeria endures,” he said.
Akume said the Federal Government would continue to strengthen institutions, provide infrastructure and create an economic environment in which Nigerians could benefit from ongoing reforms.
He said the administration’s development priorities were encapsulated in the Renewed Hope National Development Plan 2026–2030, with emphasis on productivity, diversification, human capital development and resilience.
“As we look beyond this anniversary, this administration shall remain focused on consolidating the reforms, deepening stability, and delivering growth that improves lives,” the SGF said.
He said the government’s objective was to ensure that economic reforms translated into tangible opportunities and improved living conditions for ordinary Nigerians.
“From reforms, we have built stability. From stability, let us deepen growth and opportunity, and from growth, let us extend shared prosperity to every corner of Nigeria,” Akume said.
The SGF recalled that the Tinubu administration inaugurated an ambitious programme of structural reforms in 2023 to address economic distortions and lay the foundation for sustainable growth.
He identified the removal of the petrol subsidy and the unification of multiple foreign exchange windows into a market-driven system among the major measures taken by the administration.
According to him, the reforms were designed to restore fiscal balance, strengthen the economy and create a foundation for investment and long-term growth.
Akume said government was now concentrating on consolidating the gains of the reforms while mobilising additional revenue and improving public finances to create fiscal space for development.
He said efforts were also being intensified to improve non-oil revenue collection, attract investment and strengthen coordination of economic policies between the Federal Government and the states.
The SGF said infrastructure remained a major component of the government’s strategy, with investments being directed towards roads, railways, airports, seaports, electricity and digital connectivity.
He said the projects were intended to reduce the cost of doing business, connect farmers with markets, facilitate movement of goods and encourage industrial development.
Akume said government was also working to increase electricity generation, expand transmission and distribution networks and support off-grid solutions for homes and businesses.
He described agriculture as central to the administration’s strategy, citing Nigeria’s vast arable land and youthful population as opportunities for increasing food production and developing agro-industrial activities.
He said the country must increase its capacity to feed its population, particularly in view of projected demographic growth and its implications for food security.
Akume said government was supporting farmers through improved seeds, fertilisers, irrigation facilities and better storage and processing infrastructure to boost agricultural productivity.
He also stressed the importance of water infrastructure, noting that access to water was fundamental to food security and broader socioeconomic development.
On education, the SGF said the government was expanding access at all levels while working to improve the quality of schools, teachers and learning outcomes.
He recalled that the Nigerian Education Loan Fund Act was signed in May 2024 to establish a student-loan programme aimed at helping more Nigerians access tertiary education.
Akume said government was equally strengthening healthcare facilities and services while addressing diseases that could undermine the productivity and wellbeing of citizens.
According to him, social protection programmes, including conditional cash transfers, school feeding and vocational training, are being expanded to support vulnerable groups.
“These programmes target women, youth, people with disabilities, and others who need support, ensuring they are not left behind during tough economic adjustment,” he said.
The SGF stressed that economic reforms must be accompanied by measures to protect Nigerians experiencing hardship, saying government remained committed to inclusion.
“This government deliberately reaches out to those who are left out,” Akume said, adding that “no one in poverty should be forgotten.”
On national security, he said the administration remained committed to protecting lives and property and defeating threats to peace and national development.
He said that the armed forces and security agencies were intensifying operations against terrorism, banditry, kidnapping and other forms of criminality while improving intelligence gathering and modernising equipment.
Akume said government was also strengthening coordination among security agencies, local communities and other stakeholders while improving border security and the justice system.
He said the approval of a new national threat assessment and a five-year defence plan would provide a more coherent framework for addressing emerging security challenges.
According to him, the government’s security objective is to create a Nigeria where parents can send their children to school, businesses can operate without fear and communities can thrive safely.
He said the benefits of economic growth must reach citizens across the country, stressing that shared prosperity should extend from major cities to communities at the grassroots.
Akume said the private sector remained a critical partner in national development and should play a leading role in investment, innovation and job creation, while government provided an enabling policy and regulatory environment.
He also urged Nigerians to support democratic values, civil society, active citizenship and a free press, stressing that the media had a constitutional responsibility to inform citizens accurately and hold leaders accountable.
Also speaking, the Minister of Budget and Economic Planning, Sen. Abubakar Bagudu, said the reforms of the Tinubu administration had helped to restore confidence in the economy and attract private investment.
“Confidence is being restored. Private money is coming into the economy,” Bagudu said.
He said the government was implementing various interventions targeting youth, women, agriculture, livestock, consumer credit and trade as part of efforts to broaden economic participation and create opportunities.
Bagudu said the government was also implementing the Renewed Hope Ward Development Programme, designed to map the country’s 8, 809 wards and create opportunities for development at the grassroots.
He said the programme would adopt a whole-of-society approach involving federal, state and local governments, development partners, foundations and other stakeholders.
Bagudu, however, acknowledged that the country had not yet reached its desired destination, saying the administration remained focused on ensuring that the benefits of reforms reached Nigerians at the lowest level.
COURTESY: nannews.ng
