…Forum says it has mobilised 100,000 supporters for Kaduna rally
By Johnbosco Agbakwuru
ABUJA — The Forum of CEOs of Federal Government Parastatals (FORCEPA) says it has mobilised more than 100,000 supporters for the All Progressives Congress (APC) presidential campaign flag-off in Kaduna on Saturday, as it pledged to mobilise more than 10 million votes for President Bola Tinubu and Vice President Kashim Shettima in the 2027 elections.
The forum, comprising directors-general and chief executive officers of federal agencies and parastatals, said on Thursday that its mobilisation drive was aimed at supporting the re-election of the president and consolidating the administration’s Renewed Hope Agenda.
Briefing journalists in Abuja, FORCEPA Chairman, Dr Kazeem Kolawole Raji, said members had been deployed to Kaduna to coordinate mobilisation and engage stakeholders ahead of the campaign event.
He said the forum, which claims a membership of more than 500 chief executives of federal agencies, had resolved to support Tinubu’s re-election, citing policy continuity and the need to consolidate ongoing reforms.
“We have decided, as a group comprising over 500 CEOs across the country, to lend our support to the re-election of Mr President. In view of this, we have decided to mobilise over 100,000 supporters for the presidential campaign kick-off in Kaduna on Saturday,” Raji said.
He added that the forum wanted the contributions of federal institutions to national development to be better understood by Nigerians.
Raji said FORCEPA was established to harness the institutional experience and networks of federal agency chiefs to promote public awareness of government policies and programmes.
The group defended the Tinubu administration’s economic reforms, including the removal of the petrol subsidy, describing them as difficult but necessary measures to strengthen public finances, attract investment and support long-term economic growth.
It acknowledged, however, that households and businesses continued to face hardship, saying the reforms would ultimately be judged by their ability to generate jobs, raise incomes and improve living standards.
“The next phase of national transformation should consolidate progress, address implementation challenges and translate economic stabilisation into more tangible improvements in the lives of ordinary Nigerians,” Raji said.
Projects 1.2m jobs from local processing
The forum also projected that a proposed policy requiring local value addition to raw materials before export could generate at least 1.2 million jobs within one to two years of implementation.
Raji said the proposed framework envisaged a minimum of 30 per cent value addition before raw materials could be exported.
He said the proposal had undergone executive and legislative processes, including reviews by the Ministry of Justice and the National Assembly.
According to him, processing commodities such as cocoa locally would expand manufacturing, reduce dependence on imported finished goods and ease pressure on foreign-exchange demand.
The projected 1.2 million jobs represent the forum’s estimate of the policy’s potential impact, rather than jobs already created.
FORCEPA also cited entrepreneurship support, student loans and innovation programmes as examples of efforts to expand economic opportunities.
One of the officials said his agency, which operates in 58 locations nationwide, had supported more than 100,000 entrepreneurs since its establishment in 1993.
He added that nearly 300 young Nigerian innovators had travelled to London to present their ideas to international investors, with the government reportedly covering their travel, accommodation and feeding expenses.
The officials further argued that savings from the removal of the petrol subsidy had created room for interventions such as student loans and conditional cash transfers.
They urged journalists to scrutinise how the savings were deployed and assess the actual impact of the reforms on Nigerians.
The forum also pointed to improved foreign reserves and relative stability in the naira as signs of economic progress, while acknowledging that many Nigerians were yet to feel sufficient relief from the changes.
FORCEPA concluded with a message endorsing continuity in government, saying: “One good term deserves another. Continuity for consolidation, leadership for transformation, renewal for a greater Nigeria.”
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