Akume: Reform Gains Must Reach Nigerians as Government Targets Wider Opportunities
Oru Leonard
The Federal Government has called for the consolidation of ongoing economic reforms to ensure that their benefits translate into improved opportunities and better living conditions for Nigerians.
Secretary to the Government of the Federation (SGF), Senator George Akume, made the call in Abuja during a World Press Conference organised as part of activities marking Nigeria’s 66th Independence Anniversary.
Akume said Nigeria’s journey since independence had recorded significant milestones, including the country’s uninterrupted constitutional democracy since 1999.
He said the priority at this stage should be to consolidate the gains of reforms while ensuring that ordinary Nigerians benefit from the opportunities created by the government’s economic policies.
“The task before us today, as leaders and citizens, is consolidation. We must ensure that the gains from reform translate into better opportunities for ordinary Nigerians,” Akume said.
According to the SGF, the Federal Government is mobilising revenue, strengthening public finances and implementing interventions across critical sectors, including infrastructure, agriculture, education, healthcare and social protection.
He, however, stressed the need to protect vulnerable Nigerians as the government pursues economic reforms.
“The guiding principle is that while we reform our economy, we must protect those who are already struggling. No one in poverty should be forgotten,” he said.
Akume also said the administration would sustain efforts to strengthen national security, support private-sector development and promote national cohesion, with the aim of ensuring that economic opportunities extend to communities across the country.
“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,” he said.
Speaking, the Minister of Budget and Economic Planning, Senator Abubakar Atiku Bagudu, said the ongoing reforms were designed to support deliberate policy choices that would expand the Nigerian economy and make it more inclusive.
Bagudu acknowledged that the country had not yet reached its desired economic destination, stressing the importance of making appropriate policy choices to achieve the government’s objectives.
“We are not yet where we want to be. What is important is to identify what are the choices that we need to make so that we can go to where we want to be,” he said.
On security, Minister of Information and National Orientation, Mohammed Idris, acknowledged that challenges remained but said the Federal Government had strengthened operations through increased investment in equipment, intelligence, personnel and inter-agency coordination.
“Now, does it mean that we have solved all the security challenges in this country? No, and there is so much progress,” Idris said.
The Minister of Agriculture and Food Security, Senator Abubakar Kyari, linked improved security in some agricultural areas to increased farming activities.
Kyari said farmers had regained access to some previously affected farmlands, while government support through fertiliser and improved seeds was contributing to increased agricultural production.
“We have seen a lot of areas in the centre; 70 per cent of those places that were hitherto under security have been liberated. We have seen an increase in production today,” he said.
The World Press Conference formed part of activities marking Nigeria’s 66th Independence Anniversary and provided an opportunity for the Federal Government to review the country’s progress, acknowledge ongoing challenges and outline its priorities for the years ahead.
Those in attendance included the Minister of Aviation and Aerospace Development, Festus Keyamo, SAN; Minister of Water Resources and Sanitation, Prof. Joseph Utsev; Minister of Livestock Development, Idi Mukhtar Maiha; Minister of Regional Development, Abubakar Momoh; Minister of State for Foreign Affairs, Ambassador Sola Enikanolaiye; and Head of the Civil Service of the Federation, Olumuyiwa Enitan Abel.
Also present were the Accountant-General of the Federation, Dr Shamseldeen Babatunde Ogunjimi; Auditor-General for the Federation, Shaakaa Kanyitor Chira; Permanent Secretary, Political and Economic Affairs Office, Office of the SGF, Bekearedebo Augusta Warrens; and other senior government officials and dignitaries.
