Secretary to the Government of the Federation (SGF), Senator George Akume, on Wednesday declared that Nigeria’s security could not be guaranteed by military and intelligence operations alone, saying lasting security must also be built on trust, social cohesion, early warning and responsible public discourse.
Akume also charged religious leaders to regard peacebuilding as an integral part of national security and use their influence to promote unity and responsible political participation as the country moves towards the 2027 general elections.
The SGF, who represented President Bola Ahmed Tinubu at the 12th Synod of the Charismatic Bishops Conference of Nigeria at the National Ecumenical Centre, Abuja, said religious leaders occupied a strategic position in preventing conflicts and strengthening peaceful coexistence.
‘National security cannot be the responsibility of soldiers, police officers and intelligence agencies alone. Security also begins with trust, social cohesion, early warning and responsible speech’, Akume said.
According to a statement issued by his Special Adviser on Media and Publicity, Yomi Odunuga, the Church, because of its extensive influence and capacity for social mobilisation, has an important role to play in addressing threats to national cohesion.
‘Religious leaders occupy a very important intersection in the prevention and management of these issues because they are recognised influential social mobilisers and actors in peacebuilding. The Church must therefore see peacebuilding as part of national security’, he said.
Akume disclosed that security agencies had recorded some intelligence-led breakthroughs, including the rescue in August of 308 abducted Nigerians from Kwara and Niger states.
He, however, cautioned that the security challenge was far from over, noting that terrorism, banditry, kidnapping, communal conflicts and other forms of criminal violence continued to inflict suffering on families and communities.
Turning to the approaching 2027 general elections, the SGF urged bishops and other religious leaders to use their influence to strengthen democratic values rather than promote partisan divisions.
‘Elections will come and go, but Nigeria must remain. As Charismatic Bishops and fathers of faith, you have a decisive role to play, not in determining the winner, but in helping to ensure that Nigeria does not lose’, he said.
He urged the clerics to ‘encourage peaceful and conscientious participation’ and ‘raise your voices against anti-democratic practices such as vote-buying, hate speech and the weaponisation of ethnicity or religion’.
Akume particularly cautioned religious leaders against turning places of worship into platforms for political incitement.
‘I urge you to please refrain from turning the pulpit into an instrument of incitement instead of the sanctuary of conscience. An election is a contest for office; it must never become a war for survival’, he said.
The SGF also conveyed President Tinubu’s appreciation to the Christian community, saying the President ‘deeply values the prayers of the Church, its humanitarian interventions, and contributions to peace, national cohesion and moral formation’.
On the economy, Akume acknowledged the hardship Nigerians had endured as a consequence of the administration’s economic reforms, assuring citizens that their sacrifices would not go in vain.
‘Government recognises the fact that these reforms come with some inevitable pains and that Nigerians have significantly endured. We commend our citizens for their patriotism and resilience and assure them that it would never be in vain, as promised by the President’, he said.
The SGF said that while World Bank reports had indicated improvements in Nigeria’s macroeconomic stability, the administration was now concentrating on translating the gains into improved living conditions and recovery of household incomes.
‘This government is focusing on recovery of household incomes from poverty and will never relent until reform succeeds and translates to affordable food, jobs, better infrastructure, health services and dignity for the ordinary citizen. That is where Renewed Hope Agenda truly lies’, he said.
Akume explained that the Renewed Hope Agenda was anchored on reducing hardship, expanding opportunities, simplifying the fiscal regime and providing relief to vulnerable Nigerians and businesses.
He said the Federal Government was expanding interventions in education, healthcare, social protection and community resilience as part of efforts to ensure that the benefits of economic reforms reached citizens across the country.
According to him, the government’s strategy is to ‘keep listening; to correct what needs correction; to protect the vulnerable; to strengthen accountability; and to ensure that the benefits of reform are increasingly felt across the Federation’.
Akume urged the Synod to explore greater collaboration between the Church and government, particularly in youth empowerment, education, peacebuilding, civic responsibility, and humanitarian services.
‘Government needs the moral reach of the Church and the Church needs an enabling civic environment to thrive. Above all, Nigeria needs both to work perfectly for the common good’, he said.
The SGF said the administration remained open to constructive engagement, stressing that responsiveness required government to listen and make adjustments where necessary.
‘A listening government must be willing not only to explain itself, but also to learn, adjust and improve. May the Holy Spirit guide your deliberations. May this Synod renew your strength, deepen your unity and enlarge your impact. And may God grant Nigeria peace and bless our nation’, Akume said.
He thereafter declared the 12th Synod of the Charismatic Bishops Conference of Nigeria open.