The Federal Government will not be rolling out the drums to celebrate Nigeria’s 64th Independence anniversary, according to the Secretary to the Government of the Federation, Senator George Akume.
Akume said President Bola Tinubu had approved that the celebration be toned down to reflect the economic challenge that Nigerians have been groaning under in the recent past.
Speaking at a press conference held in Abuja on Thursday to outline plans for the anniversary, Akume said the Tinubu administration was very much aware of the economic hardships that Nigerians were passing through and deeply sympathises with them.
He said, however, that these hardships were occasioned by unavoidable policy choices that the administration had to make, including the removal of fuel subsidies.
Outlining the programmes for the anniversary, the SGF said it would be marked with a Special Juma’at Prayer on Friday, 27th September at the National Mosque, Abuja, Inter-Denominational Church Service on Sunday, 29th September at the National Christian Centre, Abuja, and a presidential broadcast and 64th Independence Anniversary parade on Tuesday, 1st October 2024, at the Presidential Villa.
He said the order of events had been put together to remind Nigerians of “our strength when we stay united, our progress despite the challenges, the beauty of our diversity, the quantum leap this administration had taken within the short period in office and the beacon of the better future for all, through the Renewed Hope Agenda”.
“Notwithstanding the dauntless challenges, ceaseless efforts are being made to cushion the immediate impact and to create new opportunities on the short, medium and long-term basis, through diligent implementation of the Renewed Hope Agenda,” Akume said.
“These policies and programs are being implemented for long-term solutions to these problems and I assure us all that in no distant time, under the leadership of President Bola Ahmed Tinubu, the trajectory of our socio-economic development would soar higher in the positive territory,” he said.
On the administration’s efforts to ease the burden on citizens, the SGF pointed to the establishment of the Presidential CNG Initiative (Pi-CNG) by President Tinubu and the launch of the first phase of 30 buses powered by hybrid Compressed Natural Gas (CNG) in order to ease transportation difficulties of the citizens.
“This is work in progress because the Presidential Initiative is designed to expand across all geo-political zones of the country,” Akume said.
“The government has also commissioned the first retrofitted CNG train head for the Abuja-Kaduna track. This is intended to cut the cost of travel by up to fifty percent when fully operational.
“The President has also given priority to the growth of the economy through the SMEs. By so doing, he has re-focused on strengthening the back bone of our economy by empowering Nigerians to start or grow their businesses,” he said.
Akume also mentioned the repositioning of the National Social Investment Programme to effectively address the challenges facing the poor, the vulnerable, under-served and the elderly; the newly approved National Minimum Wage; the Wage Award paid to mitigate the plight of the workers, the Students Loan Fund, among others.
“Insecurity in different parts of the country has been a recurring challenge for successive governments since 1999. This administration has succeeded in elevating the human and institutional capacity of the armed services and other security agencies to tackle these challenges of insurgency, banditry and other criminal activities including kidnapping,” the SGF said.
“This is already yielding results as insurgents and bandits are getting neutralised in large numbers while several others are surrendering to the authorities for deradicalisation.
“One of the major challenges facing Nigerians is rising food prices. To bolster food security, availability and ensure affordability of food, the government has removed tariffs on the importation of certain categories of food. In addition, the government has distributed fertilizers, farm inputs and other critical items to boost food production,” he said.
He praised the selflessness, sacrifices and immeasurable contributions of the country’s first pioneers who fought for the country’s independence in 1960.
“As a nation, therefore, we must recognize with pride our journey to a stable, unbroken democratic sovereignty which has spanned twenty-five years since 1999.
“We must also recognise the resilience of Nigerians and their leading contributions to global development in different fields of endeavour,” he further stated.
