• Anyim, Mamora hail President’s courage, vision
• Reforms must translate economic gains into shared prosperity, says Lalong
• Akume charges Tinubu’s appointees to communicate achievements

The Forum of Former Presiding Officers of State Houses of Assembly of Nigeria (FOPSHAN) has endorsed President Bola Tinubu for a second term in office, pledging to mobilise their supporters and take the campaign for his re-election to the grassroots.

To back them, Senators Anyim Pius Anyim and Olorunnimbe Momora hailed the President’s vision and courage to effect reforms, while former governor of Plateau State, Senator Simon Lalong, wants the reforms to lead to shared prosperity.

Meanwhile, Secretary to the Government of the Federation (SGF), George Akume, has charged Ministers, Special Advisers, Chairmen and Chief Executive Officers (CEOs) of Federal Government agencies to intensify efforts to communicate the achievements of the Tinubu administration to Nigerians.

The former speakers and deputy speakers, who adopted the endorsement as part of the resolutions of their national summit in Abuja yesterday, also commended the Tinubu administration’s economic reform programme, particularly the removal of petrol subsidy, describing it as a difficult decision taken at a critical point in the nation’s economic history.

The endorsement came as former President of the Senate, Anyim declared that Tinubu was not merely making decisions for immediate political gain but implementing reforms aimed at shaping Nigeria’s future.

Anyim, who chaired the occasion, said the President was “thinking beyond 2027” and “planting” for the next generation, citing the removal of the petrol subsidy, the student loan policy, and the proposed state police initiative as reforms with long-term implications.

Wife of the President, Oluremi Tinubu, who was the Special Guest of Honour at the summit, described the endorsement as significant, saying it came from men and women who had themselves presided over legislative institutions and understood the complexities of governance and policymaking.

She, however, urged the former lawmakers not to withdraw from public service after leaving political office, charging them to deploy their experience, networks and institutional knowledge to strengthen democracy and mentor younger legislators.

Anyin argued that societies periodically required fundamental political, social and economic changes, adding that such reforms could only be pursued by leaders willing to make difficult decisions without being driven solely by immediate popularity.

“Reforms at every time have never always been very popular, but only courageous leaders who are not thinking about today but tomorrow actually embark on reforms,” Anyim said.

Lalong examined subsidy removal, foreign exchange reforms, fiscal consolidation, debt management, revenue generation and tax reforms as major components of the administration’s economic programme.

He noted that the removal of subsidies contributed to higher transportation and living costs and exerted pressure on households and businesses, but said the issue had been deferred by successive administrations despite its fiscal implications.

While citing assessments indicating movement towards macroeconomic stability, Lalong stressed that poverty remained high and household incomes had yet to fully recover.

The former governor, therefore, urged the government to ensure that macroeconomic improvements translated into tangible benefits for Nigerians.

According to him, infrastructure, agriculture, human capital development, security, social protection and youth empowerment were critical to achieving shared prosperity.

He called for sustained investment in roads and bridges, insisting that infrastructure projects must be delivered to a high standard and represent good value for money.

On agriculture, the former governor said the government must move beyond input distribution to investments in irrigation, mechanisation, technology, storage, processing, transportation and marketing.

Earlier, Ebonyi State Governor and Chairman of the Board of Trustees (BoT) of FOPSHAN, Francis Nwifuru, stressed the importance of cooperation between the executive and legislature, drawing from his experience as a former speaker.

“Those years taught me an enduring lesson. Governance is not the responsibility of the executive alone; it is a partnership between institutions,” Nwifuru said.

He urged greater investment in agriculture, manufacturing, infrastructure, education, energy and technology, saying economic reforms must ultimately expand productive capacity and create opportunities for Nigerians.

The National Chairman of FOPSHAN, Senator Wasiu Sani, said the summit was convened to enable former legislators to assess the consequences of major policy decisions and contribute their experience to national development.

He identified the removal of the petrol subsidy, changes in federal allocation, and efforts to strengthen local government financial autonomy as consequential decisions requiring “thoughtful, honest and constructive engagement.”

AKUME, while addressing participants at the Federal Appointees Strategic Summit in Abuja on Wednesday, said the engagement would provide an opportunity to take stock of the administration’s achievements and assess the impact of its policies and programmes on the lives of ordinary Nigerians.

The SGF described the summit as strategic because it brought together key political appointees and heads of Ministries, Departments and Agencies (MDAs) to review what had been achieved and examine how such achievements could translate into tangible improvements in citizens’ lives.

He said the broad representation at the summit was necessary, given the extensive responsibilities of government ministries and agencies across the country.

According to him, the engagement would enable participants to examine the administration’s scorecard and determine the extent to which government interventions had made a positive difference in Nigerians’ lives.

Akume, therefore, urged ministers and heads of government agencies to take greater responsibility for communicating the policies, programmes and achievements of their respective institutions to the Nigerian people in clear and accessible terms.

He clarified that the summit was not designed to evaluate or judge individual ministers or agencies, but to take stock of achievements across MDAs and determine how those achievements could translate into better outcomes for citizens.

At the summit, the Minister of Solid Minerals Development, Dr Dele Alake, said the engagement provided an opportunity for ministries, agencies, boards, federal establishments and institutions to present their achievements and demonstrate their contributions to the Tinubu administration.

Alake urged participants to regard the exercise as a presentation of the collective scorecard of officials entrusted with responsibilities by the President.