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Nigeria @ 65: Sen. Akume Urges Shared Responsibility for Nation-Building
By Francis Wilfred
ABUJA, Nigeria – As Nigeria prepares to celebrate its 65th Independence Anniversary, the Secretary to the Government of the Federation (SGF), Senator George Akume, has called on citizens to embrace a shared responsibility in building a greater nation.
Speaking at a World Press Conference on Tuesday to commemorate the anniversary, Akume said Nigeria’s journey has been marked by triumphs and trials, but the spirit of the nation remains unbroken.
“We have endured challenges in governance, economy, security, and social cohesion. Our true strength lies in our capacity to consistently rise after every storm, rebuild after every setback, and forge ahead with resilience and faith in our destiny as a great nation,” he stated.
Akume emphasized that the theme “Nigeria at 65: All Hands on Deck for a Greater Nation” reflects the collective responsibility of citizens, not just government. He noted that youth and elders, men and women, public servants and entrepreneurs, farmers and professionals, military personnel, traders, artisans, and Nigerians in the diaspora all share in the task of national development.
Highlighting President Bola Ahmed Tinubu’s Renewed Hope Agenda, Akume described it as a framework for national rebirth, inclusivity, and sustainable progress. He said the Office of the Secretary to the Government of the Federation plays a critical role in ensuring policy coordination, inter-ministerial synergy, and effective implementation of the President’s priorities.
“Already, we are witnessing positive results. Inflationary pressures are beginning to ease, foreign investments are showing renewed interest, job creation initiatives are expanding opportunities for our youth, and social intervention programmes are cushioning the effects of reforms on vulnerable groups,” he noted.
The SGF commended President Tinubu for his bold leadership and reaffirmed the Federal Executive Council’s commitment to effective governance. He also urged citizens to set aside divisions and work together to achieve a Nigeria where unity prevails over division, peace over conflict, and opportunities outweigh despair.
“At 65, Nigeria is still a work in progress. But with renewed hope, shared responsibility, and collective resolve, our best days lie ahead. Let all hands truly be on deck for a greater, stronger, and more prosperous Nigeria,” he said.
October 1, 2025
SGF Meets Tor Tiv, Och’Idoma, Elders for Lasting Peace in Benue
Wilfred Francis
The Secretary to the Government of the Federation (SGF), Senator George Akume, CON, has met with the paramount traditional rulers of Benue State – the Tor Tiv, His Royal Majesty, Orchivirigh Prof. James Ayatse, and the Och’Idoma, His Royal Majesty, Agabaidu Elaigwu Odogbo Obagaji John as part of continuous efforts to restore peace and security in the state.
The high-level meeting, held in Benue, follows a directive by President Bola Ahmed Tinubu to urgently constitute a strategic peace committee aimed at addressing the root causes of violence in Benue and charting a path toward lasting reconciliation and stability.
Senator George Akume in a statement signed by the Director Information and public relations, Segun Imohiosen, described the incident as heartbreaking and reiterated the President’s resolve to end the senseless killings in the food basket of the nation and across the country.
“We appeal to you to remain vigilant so that miscreants do not infiltrate the communities. Whenever you observe a breach, do not resist in informing us. The President will never disappoint you”. He said.
He noted that the inclusion of the Tor Tiv and Och’Idoma in the process reflects the Tinubu administration’s recognition of the important role traditional institutions play in conflict resolution, community dialogue, and peacebuilding.
In their remarks, the two monarchs commended President Tinubu for his physical assessment in the state and assured the Federal Government of their full support and commitment to peace efforts. They also called on all Benue communities to give peace a chance and cooperate with the committee once inaugurated.
The proposed peace committee led by the SGF has commenced consultations immediately, with a mandate to recommend actionable solutions to end the attacks in Benue State.
June 22, 2025
OnTiv Group condemn calls For Akume’s Sack As SGF
By Joyce Remi-Babayeju
A Concerned Nigerian forum, under the name OnTiv Professional Association in Abuja have condemned the recent call by the Idoma extraction in Benue State on President Tinubu to sack of Senator George Akume as the Secretary to the Federal Government, SGF.
OnTiv association have urged President Bola Ahmed Tinubu to turn deaf ears to such baseless calls.
Elder statesman, Chief Audu Ogbeh and the Coalition of Idoma Professionals called for sack of Sen. George as the new SGF over what they described as marginalization of the Idoma tribe by the present administration.
They argued that after the appointment of Senator Akume, a Tiv man as SGF, another Tiv man was presented for screening as minister, which they termed marginalising the Idoma tribe.
President of OPA, Engr. Abraham Aku, who addressed newsmen over the weekend, said that such cry is a continuous mischief against the Tiv people.
“It should be noted that in ensuring fair co-existence, no Tiv person has ever raised objection to the appointment of an Idoma person rather, we have always supported such appointments even when they did not go the way we expected.”
We have ensured that there is sharing of political offices in Benue State; not minding their dominance at the Federal level is fairly done.
“Our Idoma brothers do not seem to appreciate our tolerance, this is worrisome and mischievous.”
“We had intended to keep quite especially to the calls for to sack Senator George Akume by some Idoma elders claiming to be stakeholders of the Idoma race led by Chief Audu Ogbeh.”
” While we had wished to let go this malicious call as one of their continuous mischief against the Tiv people, just few days ago an Idoma lady refused her nomination to serve in Fr. Hycinth Allia’s government.”
” This is blackmail against the Tiv people to curry sympathy for the sack of Senator George Akume as Secretary to the Government of the Federation.”
“Senator David Mark was President of the Senate for eighteen uninterrupted years, he had the full backing of the Tiv people, Senator Abba Morro was appointed a Minister, the current Deputy Governor of Benue State Mr Sam Ode was a Minister while Jerry Agada a Permanent Secretary. No Tiv person wrote a petition calling for the sack of them.”, he stated.
OPA further further argued that a person who rose through his civil service career to the rank of Permanent Secretary, became a two-term Executive Governor of the State and rose to become a Distinguished Senator of the Federal Republic of Nigeria before serving as an Honourable Minister of the Federal Republic of Nigeria not be fit and proper person to hold the Office of Secretary to the Government of the Federation?
“Is a person who had united his people and mobilized his party, the APC to take over power from a sitting government in his state and recorded an almost 100% victory in two Zones his people occupy not suitable for reward? Can one rightly and courageously maintain that His Excellency, Ahmed Bola Tinubu, GCFR, Commander-In-Chief of Armed Forces has erred in the appointment of Senator George Akume as Secretary to the Government of the Federation following his contribution to the party as well as his demonstrated capacity over the years?
Our answer is that anyone who holds this view is mischievous and up to create unnecessary friction in the ranks of the Benue people and the APC structure in the state, OPA reasoned.
August 18, 2023
SGF commends NCPC for accelerating construction of PILGRIMS HERITAGE CAMP HOUSE
By Joyce Remi-Babayeju
The Secretary to the Government of the Federation, Mr. Boss Mustapha commended leader of the Nigerian Christians Pilgrims Commission, NCPC, Rev. Yakubu Pam for accelerating construction of the Pilgrims Heritage Camp House in Abuja.
In a press release signed by Celestine Toruka, Head Media and Public Relations, of the Commission, made available to Daybreak today said the SGF made the commendation when he
inspected the Nigerian was Christian Pilgrim’s Heritage Camp under construction at the Central Business District of Abuja on 11thMay, 2022.
The SGF was represented at the inspection tour of facilities at the site by Dr. Maurice Mbaeri, Permanent Secretary General Services office, office of the Secretary to Government of the Federation.
He commended the giant strides of the Executive Secretary, Nigerian Christian Pilgrim Commission, Rev. Dr. Yakubu Pam for his bold efforts and commitment to the realization of the project.
Boss Mustapha said he was indeed pleased with the work done so far at the construction site promised to support the project to completion.
Rev. Pam explained that work at the construction site increased greatly over a year ago under his leadership and that he would stop at nothing to bring the project to fulfillment.
He intimated the Permanent Secretary that the project is a 12 storey building with fourteen floors, which include a basement and parking lot.
He added that when completed, about four floors would be set aside for staff office accommodation while the rest floors would be used for lodgings and accommodation.
The Consultant and Architect in charge of the project, Arch. Bayomi Daniel was part of the tour inspection team who conducted and explained the technicalities in the design template of the project.
The Permanent Secretary, Dr. Maurice Mbaeri inspected the gallery, the parking lot, the auditorium and the rest.
The inspection team comprises the Director of Administration NCPC Mr. Barnabas Ali, the Director Planning Research and Programme Development, Barr. Sonny Ebiyaibo, the Director of Mobilization Mr. Christian Udegbunam as well as some top senior officers of the OSGF.
May 14, 2022
SGF, Health Minister, Other PTF Members Receive COVID-19 Vaccines
The Chairman of the Presidential Task Force on COVID-19, Mr Boss Mustapha, and other members of the PTF have received the AstraZeneca vaccines.
They took the first jabs of the vaccine on Monday at the briefing of the task force held in Abuja, the Federal Capital Territory (FCT).
Mustapha, who is also the Secretary to the Government of the Federation (SGF), was the first to take the vaccine.
Thereafter, the Minister of Health, Dr Osagie Ehanire, also took his first jab of the vaccine and was followed by other members of the task force.
They include the Minister of Information and Culture, Mr Lai Mohammed; Minister of Foreign Affairs, Mr Geoffrey Onyeama; and the Director-General of the Nigeria Centre for Disease Control (NCDC), Dr Chikwe Ihekweazu.
The Executive Director of the National Primary Health Care Development Agency (NPHCDA), Dr Faisal Shuaib, as well as the Country Representative of the World Health Organisation (WHO), Walter Mulombo, were also among those who received the vaccine.
Before the officials took turns to receive the vaccine, the PTF chairman briefed reporters on the latest development since the commencement of the vaccination exercise.
According to him, the government has been engaging with the authorities of KLM and the Emirates airlines over pre-departure testing requirements that passengers must meet before travelling from Nigeria.
Mustapha mandated the Ministry of Aviation and the Nigerian Civil Aviation Authority (NCAA) to take necessary reciprocal measures, as may be permissible under the laws and other international obligations which they were expected to discharge.
Giving an update on the vaccination exercise, Shuaib stated that the vaccines administered since the flag-off were the same as the ones taken by the President and the Vice President.
He disclosed that the movement of vaccines to various states commenced on Monday and an accountability mechanism had been put in place to ensure equitable distribution of the vaccines in the states.
The NPHCDA boss added that the government would convene town halls in the next few weeks in a bid to counter stories causing hesitancy among the people.
March 8, 2021
COVID-19 vaccines arrive in Nigeria on Tuesday – Boss Mustapha
The Secretary to the Government of the Federation, Mr Boss Mustapha, has confirmed that Nigeria will on Tuesday, March 2, receive the first tranche of COVID-19 vaccines.
Mustapha, who is also the chairman, Presidential Task Force on COVID-19, made the disclosure on Saturday in Abuja while evaluating the country’s fight against the disease.
“They (vaccines) should depart India on March 1, 2021 in the night and arrive in Abuja on the 2nd of March, 2021, ” he said.
Our correspondents reports that Nigeria is set to receive its first four million shipment of COVID-19 vaccines from COVAX, a global scheme set up to procure and distribute vaccines for free, as the world races to contain the coronavirus pandemic.
COVAX, which was set up in April 2020 to help ensure a fairer distribution of coronavirus vaccines between the rich and poor nations, said it would deliver two billion doses to member-states by the end of 2021.
Nigeria’s four million vaccines would be its first COVID-19 vaccines from the COVAX facility.
The facility promised access to vaccines for up to 20 per cent of participating countries’ population with an initial supply beginning in the first quarter of 2021 to inoculate three per cent of their populations.
The Nigerian government had earlier announced that the first four million doses of the vaccines would arrive in the country by the end of February.
The SGF disclosed that the UN Children’s Fund (UNICEF) would be organising the shipment from Mumbai, India, with the World Health Organisation (WHO), both backers of COVAX.
Meanwhile, the PTF chairman praised Nigeria’s health workers and the various frontline workers for working hard to combat the coronavirus pandemic.
Mustapha, while evaluating the county’s response to COVID-19 in the past year, said the PTF had performed “very well’’ with a very robust national response.
“We have succeeded in discharging our mandate of managing the pandemic with a well-defined process and a robust national response,” he noted.
The SGF said that the strategies evolved by his committee to manage the pandemic had been replicated in some other countries, especially the compulsory Polymerase Chain Reaction (PCR) testing for travellers.
He explained that the pandemic had helped the country to scale up its health infrastructure, citing the increase in the number of infectious diseases testing laboratories from four to 132 across the country.
NAN recalls that the Nigeria’s health minister, Dr. Osagie Ehanire, on Wednesday admitted that the country may have to wait till March to receive its first doses of the vaccines.
Ghana received 600,000 doses of the AstraZeneca vaccines on Wednesday, making it the first country on the continent to benefit from the COVAX programme.
Cote d`Ivoire, a country with more than 32,000 COVID-19 cases and 188 deaths, also received over 500,000 doses of the Oxford-Astrazeneca COVID-19 vaccine on Friday.
It is exactly one year ago, Feb. 27, 2020, that Nigeria detected its first case of the coronavirus disease (COVID-19), believed to be the first reported case in Sub-Saharan Africa.
With more than 150,000 cases reported since then, the NCDC said Nigeria’s response had been led by science and driven by the power of coordination, collaboration and solidarity among federal and state governments, partners, the private sector and the citizens.
February 28, 2021
Buhari, Osinbajo, SGF, others Presides Over Virtual FEC Meeting
Vice President Yemi Osinbajo and the Secretary to the Government of the Federation were in attendance at the 19th virtual Federal Executive Council meeting presided over by President Muhammadu Buhari.
The meeting which was held at the Council Chambers of the State House, Abuja also had in attendance the Chief of Staff to the President, Ibrahim Gambari and the National Security Adviser (NSA), Major General Babagana Munguno (retd).
Ministers physically present at the Council Chambers are Ministers of Information and Culture, Lai Mohammed, Finance, Zainab Ahmed, Justice, Abubakar Malami, Works and Housing, Babatunde Fashola, and Digital Economy, Dr Isa Pantami.
Others include Minister of Transportation, Rotimi Amaechi, Minister of Aviation, Hadi Sirika, Minister of Interior, Rauf Aregbesola, Minister of Health, Dr. Osagie Ehanire, and Minister of Power Saleh Mamma.
The Head of the Civil Service of the Federation, Dr. Folasade Yemi-Esan, and other members of the cabinet are participating in the weekly council meeting from their various offices in Abuja.
See mor photos:
Minister attending virtually
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Buhari presides over FEC meeting
October 14, 2020
SGF, ministers absent as court hears case against Abba Kyari’s funeral attendees
A Criminal complaint against 12 of the President’s appointees who attended the funeral of his Chief of Staff, Abba Kyari, in alleged violation of Covid-19 protocols, commenced at the Magistrates’ Court, Kado, Abuja, on Monday.
However, none of the appointees, who attended Kyari’s burial on April 18, 2020, was present when their names were called out by the court registrar.
They include: The Secretary to the Government of the Federation, Boss Mustapha, who is also the Chairman, Presidential Task Force on Covid-19; the Minister of Aviation, Hadi Sirika; the Minister of Foreign Affairs, Geoffrey Onyema; and the Minister of Humanitarian Affairs, Disaster Management and Social Development, Sadiya Farouq.
Others who were accused of attending the burial include- the Senior Special Assistant to the President on Media and Publicity, Garba Shehu; the National Security Adviser, Babagana Moguno; the Director-General of National Intelligence Agency, Ahmed Rufai; the Chief Protocol Officer, Amb Lawal Kazaure; and the President’s Personal Assistant on New Media, Bashir Ahmad.
The President’s Private Secretary and nephew, Yusuf Sabiu aka Tunde; Special Assistant to the President, Musa Daura; and the National Coordinator of the Presidential Task Force on Covid-19, Dr. Sani Aliyu, were also joined in the suit.
At the commencement of the case, Chief Magistrate Celestine C.M Odo ordered the court registrar to call out all the names of the defendants sequentially so that they could properly identify themselves.
Chief Magistrate Odo observed that the criminal complaint was not signed by the complainant. However, human rights lawyer, Tope Akinyode, argued that the complaint is required to be signed only by the magistrate and there is no provision of the law mandating the complainant to sign the direct criminal complaint.
Akinyode said he filed an affidavit in compliance with Section 89 of the Administration of Criminal Justice Act which he duly signed.
The lawyer said that the law did not even require a direct criminal complaint to be in writing by law. Akinyode said pursuant to Section 89 (1) of the ACJA, he had the liberty to commence the direct criminal complaint orally and the Magistrate or the Court Registrar must record him accordingly.
After the argument, the magistrate adjourned the matter till August 4, 2020, on his ruling on the matter and the continuation of the case.
At the burial of the late Kyari, the social distancing directive of the Federal Government was not observed at the event, sparking criticisms from Nigerians.
But the SGF who is also the Chairman of the Presidential Taskforce on COVID-19 apologised to Nigerians.
However, activist lawyer, Akinyode, instituted a case against the President’s appointees, insisting that Nigerians have been convicted and even given jail terms for flouting the government’s lockdown order and congregating and the President’s appointees ought not to be spared.
July 27, 2020
Suspension of NHIS boss not a witch hunt- SGF
Secretary to the Government of the Federation, Mr. Boss Mustapha has stated that the suspension of the Executive Secretary of the National Health Insurance Scheme, NHIS, Professor Usman Yusuf, was not an attempt to witch hunt him, but rather a strong desire by the Federal Government to set things right.
The SGF who made this claim yesterday while inaugurating the seven-man Presidential Independent Fact-Finding Panel, said that owing to the recent crisis that has enmeshed the NHIS, President Muhammadu Buhari had deem it necessary to set up this panel.
“Unfortunately, in recent times, the National Health Insurance Scheme has been embroiled in one crisis or the other. Lately, these imbroglios have degenerated to the purported suspension of the Executive Secretary of the Scheme by its Governing Council, and calls from different quarters for the scrapping of the Health Management Organizations (HMO).
“It is however very important to note that, the President and Commander-In-Chief of the Armed Forces of the Federal Republic of Nigeria, Muhammadu Buhari is very passionate about the healthcare and wellbeing of all Nigerians; and this has informed his administration’s desire to make provision of quality and affordable healthcare as one of its cardinal objectives.
“As a result of the crisis rocking the Scheme, it has become necessary to constitute this Presidential Independent Fact-Finding Panel to determine the immediate and remote causes of the crisis,” he stated.
It was earlier reported that members of the seven-man panel include: Dr. Hassan Bukar, Chairman; Dr. Emmanuel Meribole; Mr Adewale People, Director, Audit, AUGF; Mr. Shamsudeen Bella, Deputy Director Expenditure, Office of the Accountant General of the Federation, OAGF.
Other are: Mr. Ishaq Yahaya, Director, Certification and Compliance, Bureau of Public Procurement, BPP; Dr. Ekanem John Udoh, Director of Science, Federal Ministry of Science and Technology, and Mrs. Jummai Idakwo, Director Administration in the office of the Secretary to the government of the federation.
The SGF further urged the members of the panel to be non-partisan and dispassionate in the discharge of their assignment, adding that it was a call to national duty.
Earlier in his remarks, Minister of Health, Prof. Issac Adewale while noting that the problem of the NHIS was deeply rooted, assured of the ministry’s cooperation with the panel.
“The problem of the NHIS is deeply rooted and it is beyond individuals, and so it is important to look at the NHIS in totality so that we can have a strong institution that will serve the interest of Nigerians,” he added.
Dr. Hassan Bukar, Chairman of the panel, however assured that they would assiduously with the limited time given to them to meet up with the expectations of the president and Nigerians. The panel has been mandated to report back on its findings within two weeks.
November 3, 2018