From Okwe Obi, Abuja
Secretary to the Government of the Federation (SGF), George Akume, has defended the economic reforms of President Bola Tinubu, declaring that it is already yielding result.
Akume stated this yesterday at the at the second Nigeria democracy week organised by the National Democracy Stakeholders Group (NDSG), in Abuja.
Represented by the Permanent Secretary, Political and Economic Affairs Office, Nadungu Gagare, Akume stated that the mid-term reviews must serve as instruments of democratic accountability, not ceremonial events.
He noted that President Bola Tinubu took office at a time of global economic volatility and domestic fiscal strain, yet within two years, the administration has embarked on bold structural reforms in key sectors.
According to him, the government’s focus on aligning policies with national development priorities and institutional coordination is already yielding a more coherent governance architecture.
He called for the institutionalisation of mid-term performance reviews across all levels of government, creation of a national democratic resilience framework, and expansion of citizen engagement through digital platforms and open governance.
Chairman of the Nigeria Democracy Stakeholders Group (NDSG), Dr. Kletsaint Akor, charged the President Bola Tinubu administration to treat the mid-term period not as a ceremonial checkpoint, but as a moment for deep accountability, inclusion, and urgent reforms.
According to him, democracy must move from promise to performance, and from slogans to service.
Reflecting on 26 years of uninterrupted civil rule, Akor while acknowledging reforms such as fuel subsidy removal and exchange rate liberalisation, noted that economic hardship, rising discontent, and democratic exclusion are eroding public trust.
He warned that legitimacy must go beyond ballot victories, adding that the 2023 general elections, though technologically improved, still raised concerns about transparency in result management, and judicial credibility.
“We must reimagine an electoral system where every vote counts, and every citizen trusts the process. Without electoral legitimacy, governance becomes performative rather than productive.
“Let us commit to institutionalizing electoral reforms including funding independence for INEC, transparent appointment of commissioners, and strict sanctions for malpractice,” he said.
Meanwhile, the Inspector-General of Police (IGP), Kayode Egbetokun, has refuted claims of police officers abetting and aiding election rigging and vote buying.
Egbetokun stated that the police’s role during elections is strictly limited to providing security and ensuring peaceful conduct.
“We are not partisans. We are like umpires. The duty of police is limited and restricted to the profession of security during election year. As much as we remain on that, we can’t vote. People vote. INEC count. We monitor.
“And that is our situation and the way forward is that there has been a renewed synergy, inter-agency collaboration, involving even the state government, the INEC, the civil societies, including training and retraining of officers to ensure that they stay on their mandate,” he said.
On the spate of insecurity, Egbetokun, dismissed clamours for Nigerians to bear arms as a means of self defense.
He warned that such an approach would only escalate violence and deepen instability across the country.
Represented by the Commissioner of Police, Federal Capital Territory (FCT), Ajao Adewale, he noted that widespread civilian access to firearms is not the solution to Nigeria’s multifaceted security crisis, maintaining that violence cannot be used to solve violence.
He said: “We need to learn from the countries that have allowed such. To what extent will this solve the problem? You cannot solve violence through violence. You solve violence by advocating for peace. Weapon is not the solution. Dialogue, tolerance, accommodating each other is the way forward”, he said.
Egbetokun stressed that true security should go beyond the absence of crime to include the protection of rights, welfare, and economic empowerment of citizens, in line with Section 14(2)(b) of the 1999 Constitution.