The Secretary to the Government of the Federation (SGF), Senator George Akume, has charged chief executives of federal parastatals to take the achievements of President Bola Ahmed Tinubu’s administration to the grassroots and counter what he described as disinformation surrounding the government’s economic reforms.
Akume said Nigerians must be adequately informed about the objectives and impact of the administration’s policies, insisting that the reforms were not designed to ‘imprison or impoverish Nigerians’.
The SGF spoke on Friday in Abuja while receiving a delegation of the Forum of CEOs of Federal Parastatals, led by its Convener and Chairman, Dr Kazeem Kolawale Raji, who is also the Chief Executive Officer of the National Board for Technology Incubation (NBTI).
Akume, who was represented by the Permanent Secretary, Political and Economic Affairs Office, Bekearedebo Augusta Warrens, urged heads of government agencies to use their nationwide structures and networks to improve public understanding of the administration’s programmes and achievements.
In a statement issued by Head of Information and Public Relations Department of the OSGF, Chris Ugwuegbulam, Akume said ‘in your various domains where your power is operative, ensure that people become aware of these achievements. Push this message down to the grassroots, because one thing I’ve observed in the policy right now is a lot of disinformation.
‘This reform policy is not meant to imprison or impoverish Nigerians, and that is the narrative that has been spread down to the grassroots. Push this message to help promote the image of this administration’, the SGF said.
Akume commended the forum for promoting the Renewed Hope Agenda within its members’ respective agencies and assured the chief executives of the institutional support of the Office of the Secretary to the Government of the Federation (OSGF) in pursuing their objectives.
He also thanked the forum for conferring on him the position of Grand Patron, saying its organisational structure and projections made its proposed target of mobilising 10 million votes for President Tinubu achievable.
The SGF urged the forum to sustain its momentum and establish a structured framework for continuous engagement with the OSGF, stressing that effective communication would enable the government to track its objectives and strategic initiatives.
Earlier, Raji said the forum was prepared to mobilise 10 million votes for President Tinubu’s re-election in the 2027 general election through what he described as lawful, ethical, peaceful and issue-based grassroots engagement.
He said the forum intended to leverage the extensive professional and community networks of federal agencies across the country to pursue the target.
Raji said one of the forum’s major objectives was to bridge the communication gap between government policies and Nigerians, adding that the achievements, reforms and measurable outcomes of the Tinubu administration must be properly documented and communicated with fidelity to facts.
He said the forum conferred the position of Grand Patron on Akume in recognition of his leadership, institutional stewardship and role in coordinating the machinery of the Federal Government.
Also speaking, the Permanent Secretary, Cabinet Affairs Office, Dr Chidiebere John Ezeamama, urged the forum to establish a work-related communication network with the OSGF to ensure that achievements of federal parastatals were transmitted to the office in real time for proper documentation.
Ezeamama also proposed the creation of a centralised digital platform to facilitate real-time information sharing, coordinate participation among federal agencies and track developmental milestones.