• Tasks Renewed Hope Ambassadors on public understanding of reforms
By Egena Sunday Ode
Vice President Kashim Shettima has admonished the Secretary to the Government of the Federation, Senator George Akume and the Governor of Benue State, Hyacinth Alia to sheath their swords and work together as members of the same political party in the interest of the state.
Shettima gave this advise publicity while addressing the audience at the Renewed Hope Ambassadors Strategic Summit held at the Aso Rock Presidential Villa, Abuja on Thursday. He represented President Tinubu at the event.
The Vice President’s advice may have been informed by reports of a cat and mouse relationship between the governor and his political godfather which culminated in parallel congresses of the ruling All Progressives Congress (APC) held in Benue State penultimate week.
The reports suggested that loyalists of the two political gladiators held separate congresses of the party in the state and proclaimed factional leaders emerging from the exercises.
Shettima told Akume and Alia to reconcile their difference as failing to so could drag the state and its people backwards and deny them the much deserved development.
He pointedly told Akume to initiate the peace process as an elder statesman, saying that Benue deserves nothing less than peace and development.
Shettima said: “Lastly, one can hardly get a forum better than this. I want to use this forum to make a special appeal to His Excellency Senator George Akume and His Excellency Governor Hyacinth Alia to mend fences and work effectively.
“Senator Akume, apart from Dr. Abdullahi Ganduji, Senator Akume, is the longest serving public servant in the current dispensation. He’s in his seventies. He started work in Benue State government house. He was the director of protocol. He was a permanent secretary. He was a governor for eight years, a senator for 16 years, a minister for four years, and now the secretary to the government of the federation. You have seen it all.
“You are an elder statement, reach out to our junior brother. Let’s build Benue together. Benue deserves peace. Benue deserves development.
“What binds us together, as I have always said, supersedes whatever that divides us. The trajectory of global growth is facing Africa, and Nigeria will make or mar that transition.
“Nigeria is greater than all of us. And as Martin Luther King rightly said, we either learn to live together as brothers or perish together as fools. And we are not a nation of fools. We are a nation of very intelligent, very smart people that know their onions.”
Addressing participants at the summit consistingly mostly state governors, the Vice President recalled how the Tinubu administration had to grapple with so many structural challenges and made tough decisions in order to surmount them.
“From the start, our administration chose the path of honesty and discipline. We confronted deep-seated structural distortions. In so doing, we have restored fiscal credibility, stabilize the economy, and set the foundation for long-term economic growth.
“Today, we are seeing clear signs that our reforms have begun to yield results. Inflationary pressures are moderating, oil prices are easy, our currency is strong and stable.
In fact if not for the interventions by the Central Bank of Nigeria yesterday (Monday), the N1,000 to a dollar, we are going to attain it in weeks, not in months. But for the purpose of market stability, the CBN generously intervened yesterday.”
Shettima declared that the focus as the country advanced into 2026 is to shift from stabilization to acceleration, citing landmark tax reforms that have been introduced to protect the vulnerable, encourage enterprise, and entrench transparency in public finance.
Additionally, he pointed out, the recent executive order affecting remittance to the federation account is designed to safeguard federation revenues, eliminate duplicative structures, curb waste, and ensure that resources are responsibly managed for national benefit.
Underscoring the need for public understanding and participation in the reforms introduced by the Tinubu-led APC government, Shettima urged the Renewed Hope Ambassadors to it a cardinal priority.
“This platform shall serve as an avenue for civic engagement, allowing us to carry the message of national rebirth to every ward, to every community, to every nook and cranny of this our great nation.
“Ambassadors must explain why tough decisions have to be made, and how they link to jobs, security, enterprise, opportunity and a more stable future.They must counter misinformation with facts, replace rumour with evidence, and ensure that Nigerians from across the country have access to the truth.
“Equally, they must also serve as a channel for feedback, bringing community concerns and lived experiences back to government. I commend Governor Hope Odidika Uzodimma, Director General of the Renewing Hope Ambassadors and his team for the clarity and coordination they have brought to this effort.”
Accordingly, the Vice President charged the Renewed Hope Ambassadors “to move beyond conference halls and into the wards, markets, farms and campuses of this country. This mission is about presence. It’s about truth. It’s about trust.”
