Secretary to the Government of the Federation, George Akume, has said President Bola Tinubu’s economic reforms may not yield immediate results but will secure the country’s long term future, speaking at a conference on North Central development held under the Renewed Hope Agenda.
Represented by his Senior Technical Assistant, Babatunde Benard, Akume said Tinubu has placed Nigeria on the path to recovery through difficult policy decisions, citing the Student Loan Scheme as a landmark achievement that has extended opportunities once limited to the children of political leaders to ordinary Nigerian students. He urged Nigerians to support leaders building lasting infrastructure rather than offering short term handouts.
He praised the administration’s road investments, recalling that the Calabar to Abuja highway corridor was first conceived in 1958 but remained largely unrealized until now, and highlighted the Sokoto to Badagry Super Highway’s inclusion of 32 dams expected to boost agriculture, irrigation and water supply along the route.
North Central Agenda convener Ene Ogbole described Tinubu’s reelection next year as a done deal, saying the region had faced serious infrastructure and security challenges before the current administration but has since seen renewed investment in agriculture, security, education and roads, including expanded support through the Tertiary Education Trust Fund and the Nigerian Education Loan Fund. She said the spread of capital projects across the country has shifted the region’s political outlook and pledged an aggressive voter mobilization campaign to support the president’s reelection.
Speaking separately, Tinubu Support Group Director General Umar Yakasai said Nigerians had already settled the debate over the APC’s 2023 Muslim Muslim ticket by electing Tinubu despite opposition to the arrangement, responding to recent comments from Nigeria Democratic Congress vice presidential candidate Rabiu Kwankwaso suggesting the issue would resurface in 2027. Yakasai said the North Central region, with its significant Christian population, has become one of the administration’s biggest beneficiaries through appointments including the electoral commission chairmanship, the ruling party’s national chairmanship and the office of the Secretary to the Government of the Federation. He also rejected claims that the administration favors the South West in appointments, citing recent appointments from Kano and the North Central region as evidence of broader distribution.
