* Projects 1.2m jobs from local value-addition policy, defends economic reforms
Deji Elumoye in Abuja
The Forum of Chief Executive Officers of Federal Government Parastatals (FORCEPA) has hinted that it has mobilised over 100,000 supporters to storm the Kaduna venue of the All Progressives Congress (APC) presidential campaign kick-off on Saturday, reaffirming its support for the reelection of President Bola Tinubu and Vice-President Kashim Shettima’s in January 2027.
The forum, made up of over 500 chief executives of federal agencies and parastatals, also pledged to mobilise 10 million votes for Tinubu and Shettima, citing the need for policy continuity and consolidation of the administration’s Renewed Hope Agenda.
Speaking at a news conference in Abuja, its chairman, Dr Kazeem Kolawole Raji, who was joined by other officers of the forum, said members had been deployed in Kaduna to coordinate mobilisation and engage stakeholders ahead of the campaign event.
According to him, “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.”
Declaring that the Tinubu administration deserved a second term, he said the forum was established to harness the institutional experience and networks of federal agency chiefs to promote public awareness of government policies and programmes.
FORCEPA particularly defended the Tinubu administration’s economic reforms, including petrol subsidy removal, describing them as difficult but necessary measures to strengthen public finances, attract investment and support long-term growth.
The forum, however, acknowledged the hardship facing households and businesses, saying the success of the reforms would depend on their ability to deliver jobs, higher incomes and improved living standards.
“The next phase of national transformation should consolidate progress, address implementation challenges and translate economic stabilisation into more tangible improvement in the lives of ordinary Nigerians,” Raji said.
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 policy framework envisaged at least 30 per cent value addition before raw materials could be exported, adding that the proposal had undergone executive and legislative processes, including reviews by the Ministry of Justice and the National Assembly.
He said local processing of commodities such as cocoa would expand manufacturing, reduce reliance on imported finished goods and ease pressure on foreign exchange demand.
The 1.2 million jobs figure, however, is a projection of the policy’s potential impact, not an established outcome.
The agency chiefs also cited entrepreneurship support, student loans and innovation programmes as evidence of efforts to expand economic opportunities.
One official 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.
On the rising cost of living and building materials, the officials acknowledged persistent pressures on households but argued that increased domestic production could reduce import dependence and exposure to exchange-rate fluctuations.
They cited cement manufacturing as an example of how local production could strengthen the economy and reduce reliance on imports.
The officials also said savings from petrol subsidy removal had created room for interventions such as student loans and conditional cash transfers, while urging journalists to scrutinise the deployment of the funds and assess the impact of the reforms.
They pointed to improvements in foreign reserves and relative stability in the naira as signs of progress but admitted that the benefits had yet to provide sufficient relief for many Nigerians.
Arguing that structural economic challenges required sustained policy implementation, the officials cited Lagos State’s development experience as an example of the potential benefits of long-term planning and continuity.
FORCEPA said its platform would strengthen coordination among federal agencies, improve public understanding of government programmes and promote accountability.
It added that the ultimate measure of the administration’s policies would be their impact on employment, household incomes, industrial growth and citizens’ welfare.
Raji urged members and supporters to remain united, disciplined and peaceful during the electioneering, describing the planned Kaduna mobilisation as a demonstration of the forum’s support for Tinubu’s second-term bid.
“One good term deserves another. Continuity for consolidation, leadership for transformation, renewal for a greater Nigeria,” the forum added.