The Forum of CEOs of Federal Parastatals in Nigeria (FORCEPA) has thrown its weight behind President Bola Ahmed Tinubu’s re-election bid announcing the mobilisation of over 100000 supporters for Saturday’s official kick-off of the All Progressives Congress (APC) presidential campaign in Kaduna.
The Forum comprising chief executives of federal government agencies and parastatals declared that President Tinubu and Vice President Kashim Shettima deserved another four years in office to consolidate the administration’s economic reforms and accelerate national development.
Addressing a world press conference in Abuja on Thursday FORCEPA Chairman and Director-General of the National Board for Technology Incubation (NBTI) Dr Kazeem Kolawole Raji said members of the Forum had already been deployed to Kaduna to coordinate mobilisation engage stakeholders and ensure massive participation in the campaign flag-off.
Raji who described the Forum as a coalition of public-sector leaders committed to national development said its members had resolved to deploy their professional networks institutional experience and grassroots influence towards securing another term for the Tinubu-Shettima administration.
He maintained that the President had demonstrated sufficient courage in confronting Nigeria’s longstanding structural and economic challenges arguing that continuity was necessary to translate the ongoing reforms into sustainable prosperity.
According to him the Forum’s decision to support Tinubu’s re-election reflected its assessment of the administration’s economic policies institutional reforms and development programmes.
‘FORCEPA stands firmly for purposeful leadership institutional excellence national development and the consolidation of the Renewed Hope Agenda. We are proud to contribute our organisational capacity and collective commitment to the success of the Kaduna campaign kick-off.
‘Our mobilisation of over 100000 supporters reflects the seriousness with which we approach this responsibility and our belief that leadership must be supported by informed citizens effective communication and sustained engagement.
‘We commend President Bola Ahmed Tinubu for his courage in pursuing difficult economic reforms and believe that continuity consolidation and improved delivery offer Nigeria a pathway to greater prosperity.
‘We are determined to ensure that the contributions of Federal Government institutions are better understood by Nigerians and that the aspirations of our people remain central to the national development agenda’ he said.
Raji explained that FORCEPA was established to harness the leadership experience institutional knowledge and professional networks of federal agency chief executives to improve governance public enlightenment and citizen engagement.
He said the Forum recognised the need to bridge the communication gap between government policies and ordinary Nigerians particularly on employment economic opportunities security social welfare entrepreneurship and improved service delivery.
The chairman acknowledged that despite the administration’s achievements implementation challenges remained stressing that the next phase of the Renewed Hope Agenda must focus on translating economic stabilisation into improvements in citizens’ living conditions.
He said public confidence in government could be sustained only through accountability transparency measurable results and responsiveness to legitimate public concerns.
Raji nevertheless insisted that the administration had laid the foundation for long-term economic transformation and deserved the opportunity to complete its programmes.
‘The Forum’s position is clear: one good term deserves another. Where leadership demonstrates the courage to confront structural challenges and lays the foundations for a stronger economy continuity offers an opportunity to deepen reforms strengthen institutions and accelerate development’ he declared.
Speaking during the interactive session the Executive Secretary of the National Institute for Cultural Orientation (NICO) and Chairman of FORCEPA’s Media and Publicity Committee Otunba Biodun Ajiboye described Tinubu’s emergence as President as a blessing to Nigeria.
Ajiboye drew parallels between the President’s current economic transformation agenda and his eight-year administration as Governor of Lagos State arguing that the developmental initiatives introduced during that period provided evidence of his capacity for long-term planning.
He recalled that Tinubu commissioned a long-term development strategy for Lagos during his governorship maintaining that the policy direction established under his leadership contributed significantly to the state’s subsequent economic growth and infrastructural transformation.
He said Nigerians should recognise the difference between leaders who merely occupy political offices and those with the vision to drive lasting development.
Also speaking the Director-General of the National Institute for Hospitality and Tourism (NIHOTOUR) Dr Abisoye Fagade urged Nigerians to change their attitudes towards the country and demonstrate greater confidence in its economic recovery.
Fagade maintained that the economic difficulties confronting Nigerians stemmed from decades of structural deficiencies that could not realistically be corrected within three years.
He expressed confidence that the administration’s reforms were beginning to deliver results citing improvements in the prices of essential commodities particularly rice.
‘The hard time is over’ he declared arguing that Nigerians should give the President enough time to complete the economic transformation he initiated.
Fagade also commended Tinubu’s emphasis on strengthening government institutions saying the collaboration being promoted among federal agencies would improve policy coordination and service delivery.
He said bringing together agency chief executives under FORCEPA gave institutional leaders an opportunity to compare experiences exchange ideas and develop strategies to improve government performance.
‘A country that has been degenerated for almost 60 years cannot be fixed in three years. We should not rock the boat. We should do the right thing and allow this man to complete what he has started’ he said.
In his contribution the Director-General of the Raw Materials Research and Development Council (RMRDC) Professor Nnanyelugo Ike-Muonso said the administration’s industrialisation agenda offered a pathway towards reducing unemployment increasing incomes and strengthening Nigeria’s productive capacity.
Ike-Muonso identified the continued export of unprocessed raw materials as a major obstacle to Nigeria’s industrial development arguing that the country had failed for decades to derive maximum economic value from its abundant natural resources.
He cited cocoa production as an example claiming Nigeria retained less than five per cent of the commodity’s potential value because of inadequate domestic processing.
According to him Tinubu had challenged relevant government institutions to develop policies that would encourage local processing of raw materials promote manufacturing and create employment opportunities.
The RMRDC boss said the President had pushed for a policy requiring at least 30 per cent domestic value addition to raw materials before export as part of efforts to stimulate resource-based industrialisation.
He explained that the National Assembly had considered a legislative proposal addressing the issue and forwarded it to the President who then referred it to the Federal Ministry of Justice for further examination.
Ike-Muonso said the ministry returned the proposal to the National Assembly after its review explaining that the objective was to establish an appropriate legal framework for domestic value addition across different categories of raw materials.
He added that the administration was equally concerned about Nigeria’s continued importation of industrial raw materials that are already available locally in substantial quantities.
The professor maintained that expanding domestic processing capacity would help create jobs boost industrial production raise household incomes and improve the country’s economic competitiveness.
The Forum’s endorsement comes ahead of the APC’s scheduled presidential campaign flag-off in Kaduna on Saturday October 24 as the ruling party intensifies preparations for the 2027 general elections.
The Director-General of the APC Presidential Campaign Council Senator Abdulaziz Yari had earlier announced Kaduna as the starting point of the party’s nationwide presidential campaign activities.
FORCEPA said its mobilisation efforts would complement the party’s broader grassroots engagement strategy while its members would continue to promote public understanding of government policies and programmes.
The Forum also urged its supporters and stakeholders to remain peaceful disciplined and united throughout the electioneering period insisting that continuity in leadership would allow it to consolidate the administration’s economic and institutional reforms.