Democracy: Nigeria remains viable project despite challenges – Akume

The Secretary to the Government of the Federation, SGF, Sen. George Akume, says Nigeria remains a huge and viable project that is still a work in reforms and progress aimed at addressing the country’s challenges.

Mr Akume said this on Tuesday in Abuja at a National Press Conference organised to commemorate the 2026 Democracy Day celebration.

He said that the administration of President Bola Tinubu would not claim to have solved all the nation’s challenges, adding that it was however committed to pursuing reforms with diligence, purpose and compassion.

“The message from government today is straightforward. This administration wishes to let us all recognise the fact that Nigeria is a huge, viable project and it is work-in-progress.

“While we pursue various reforms diligently, with purpose and compassion, government recognises that inflation has been painful, though it is on a downward trend,” he said.

Mr Akume acknowledged that insecurity still posed threats to lives and livelihoods but noted that the President shared in the pains of Nigerians and that efforts being made by the administration were already yielding positive results.

He said that available evidence showed that the country was moving in the right direction, adding that confidence, market activity and productive exchanges were responding positively to ongoing reforms.

The SGF also said that the Tinubu administration had spent the last three years implementing the Renewed Hope Agenda aimed at economic recovery, stability, social welfare, security, human capital development, healthcare, food security and infrastructure development.

According to him, the commemoration of Democracy Day provides an opportunity for government to account for its stewardship and demonstrate its commitment to democratic principles.

Mr Akume congratulated Nigerians on 27 uninterrupted years of democratic governance, describing the achievement as one of the few sustained democratic experiences on the African continent.

He commended citizens for their resilience and patriotism in spite of prevailing economic and social challenges.

On the economy, the SGF said the country’s Gross Domestic Product, GDP, had remained in positive territory over the last two quarters.

He cited data from the National Bureau of Statistics, NBS, which showed that real GDP grew by 4.07 per cent in the fourth quarter of 2025 and 3.89 per cent in the first quarter of 2026.

He also highlighted fiscal reforms introduced by the administration, including the signing of four major tax reform laws in June 2025 aimed at simplifying compliance, improving fairness and strengthening domestic revenue mobilisation.

On social protection, he said the Renewed Hope Conditional Cash Transfer Programme, targeted at 15 million households, had reached more than three million vulnerable households as of August 2025.

He added that the Presidential Conditional Grant Scheme, CreditCorp and other intervention programmes had recorded significant successes across the country.

The SGF added that healthcare remained a top priority for the administration, noting that the National Health Insurance Authority, NHIA, Act had expanded the legal framework for wider health coverage.

He said that resources had been provided to support more than 8,000 primary healthcare centres nationwide, with plans to expand coverage to 13,000 facilities.

Mr Akume further said that the Student Loan Scheme had surpassed one million beneficiaries, with over N184 billion disbursed in loans and upkeep allowances through the Nigerian Education Loan Fund, NELFUND.

He also said that anti-corruption agencies had continued to record successes in asset recovery and prosecution of corruption-related cases.

According to him, Nigeria’s removal from the Financial Action Task Force, FATF, Grey List in October 2025 reflected the administration’s commitment to strengthening anti-money laundering and counter-terrorism financing frameworks.

On security, Mr Akume said government remained committed to protecting lives and property through enhanced funding, recruitment and capacity building for the armed forces and other security agencies.

He said the administration was also leveraging diplomacy and regional cooperation to address emerging security threats.

While acknowledging that insecurity had not been completely eliminated, the SGF called on Nigerians to support security agencies by remaining vigilant and reporting suspicious activities.

He stressed the need for national unity, religious tolerance and social cohesion, saying democracy could only thrive in an atmosphere of peace and mutual trust.

Mr Akume noted that the Federal Executive Council had approved the National Values Charter to promote discipline, citizenship, tolerance, reciprocity and service among Nigerians.

Looking ahead to the 2027 general elections, he said the administration would continue to consolidate ongoing reforms and scale up programmes that were yielding positive results.

He reiterated government’s commitment to accountability and urged Nigerians to assess the administration based on evidence and measurable outcomes.

According to him, the Democracy Day commemoration provides an opportunity for citizens to interrogate government’s performance and strengthen democratic governance in the country.

NAN