The Secretary to the Government of the Federation (SGF), George Akume, has declared that the re-election of President Bola Ahmed Tinubu in 2027 will rest squarely on the administration’s measurable achievements and delivery of its Renewed Hope Agenda.
Akume made this assertion while presenting a technical paper at the breakout session for Secretaries to State Governments Renewed Hope Ambassadors’ Strategic Summit held at the State House Banquet Hall on Tuesday.
Addressing Secretaries to State Governments (SSGs) from across the federation, the SGF emphasised that the forthcoming general elections would be a referendum on performance, not promises.
According to him, Nigerians are expectant, and the administration understands that “delivery is sacrosanct.”
“As we count down to 2027, the strongest testament of leadership will be performance. Citizens will demand proof that governance has worked for them, and that proof must reside in data, in completed projects, in improved welfare and in restored public trust,” he said.
Akume described the Renewed Hope Agenda as a covenant between government and citizens, noting that since assuming office in 2023, President Tinubu’s administration has injected momentum into governance through eight priority areas.
These include economic growth and job creation, food security, access to capital, poverty reduction, national security, inclusivity, rule of law, and anti-corruption.
He explained that these priorities have been further streamlined into key focus areas such as economic reform for inclusive growth, strengthening national security, boosting agriculture, unlocking energy resources, enhancing infrastructure, improving education and health systems, accelerating industrialisation, and deepening governance reforms.
The SGF stressed that the success of these initiatives depends not merely on policy formulation but on disciplined and coordinated implementation across federal and state levels.
Akume reminded SSGs that they serve as chief coordinators of governance at the sub-national level and are therefore central to translating federal priorities into tangible state-level outcomes.
He noted that progressive states now number 29 out of 36 in the federation, adding that state governments must align their development strategies with federal priorities under a framework of cooperative federalism.
“In our federal system, success or failure begins with the effectiveness of the engine room of government. As SSGs, you are that engine room at the state level,” he said.
He urged states to establish delivery coordination units similar to the federal Central Delivery Coordination Unit (CDCU) to track commitments, deploy performance dashboards, adopt Key Performance Indicators (KPIs), and institutionalise regular review meetings.
According to him, ministers at the federal level already operate under performance scorecards and dashboards, and similar accountability systems should be mirrored at the state level to ensure seamless coordination.
The SGF outlined practical tools for tracking commitments, including structured commitment trackers, measurable targets, escalation matrices for stalled projects, and quarterly performance reviews.
He recommended that each state ministry adopt three to five high-impact deliverables tied to Renewed Hope priorities, with clear timelines and measurable outcomes.
Sample KPIs, he noted, could include GDP growth rates, employment figures, security metrics, agricultural yields, infrastructure expansion, school enrolment rates, healthcare coverage, and ease-of-doing-business indicators.
“History will not assess us by the eloquence of our plans, but by the evidence of our delivery,” Akume stated.
He added that recent fiscal reforms, including the removal of fuel subsidy and other economic measures, have increased resources available to sub-national governments, thereby placing greater responsibility on state leaders to deliver visible results.
Akume stressed that as the 2027 electoral cycle approaches, governance must shift from episodic implementation to a systemic culture of delivery, where silos are dismantled, leakages minimised, and follow-through becomes non-negotiable.
He assured participants that the Office of the Secretary to the Government of the Federation stands ready to provide strategic support in policy coordination, performance tracking frameworks, intergovernmental collaboration, and institutional strengthening.
“The Renewed Hope Agenda must not only be implemented; it must be fully delivered. President Tinubu’s re-election, ultimately, will be anchored on demonstrable improvements in welfare, security, economic opportunity, and social stability,” he said.
Akume concluded by calling on SSGs and progressive leaders to deepen federal-state alignment and build a culture of measurable governance that will stand the test of democratic accountability in 2027.
