By David Torough, Abuja

The Secretary to the Government of the Federation, Sen. George Akume, has charged Ministries, Departments and Agencies (MDAs) to translate the findings of the 2026 Transparency and Integrity Index (TII) into concrete improvements in their operations in order to strengthen accountability and public trust.

He gave the charge while delivering the keynote address at the presentation of the 2026 Transparency and Integrity Index held at the Auditorium of the Federal Ministry of Finance, Abuja.

The SGF said the administration of President Bola Tinubu, remains committed to open, accountable and responsible governance, stressing that public institutions must ensure that their policies, programmes and actions are transparent, visible and understandable to Nigerians.

According to him, the Index has become a vital instrument for assessing accountability, openness and ethical standards across government institutions, while providing MDAs with clear benchmarks to identify areas of strength and gaps requiring improvement.

He urged heads of MDAs to integrate the findings and indicators of the Index into strategic planning, performance management, budget priorities, procurement processes, staff training and digital disclosure rather than allow the report to become another document left unused.

“The report should not sit on the shelf and should inform management decisions, budget priorities, procurement processes, staff training, digital disclosure, and how you communicate with the public,” he said.

Akume emphasised that transparency should be viewed as an institutional asset rather than an administrative burden, noting that integrity must be embedded in the procedures and culture of public institutions through clear policies, proper record-keeping, effective oversight, ethical leadership and consequences for wrongdoing.

He further tasked MDAs to take advantage of technology by ensuring that their websites and data portals provide accurate, timely and user-friendly information, including current budget, contract and service information, to enable citizens to effectively engage government and track the utilisation of public resources.

The SGF explained that the 2026 TII assesses public institutions in five critical areas comprising fiscal transparency, open procurement and contracting, human resources and inclusion, control of corruption and citizens’ engagement, adding that the initiative complements existing public service reforms, anti-corruption measures and Nigeria’s Open Government Partnership commitments.

He noted that the ultimate objective of transparency and integrity should go beyond institutional rankings to building public institutions that Nigerians can understand, engage with and hold accountable, while safeguarding public resources and improving service delivery.

“The Federal Government remains fully committed to this goal. We will continue building institutions that are transparent, accountable, professional and responsive to the needs of the people,” the SGF said.

Akume commended the Bureau of Public Service Reforms (BPSR) and the Centre for Fiscal Transparency and Public Integrity (CeFTPI) for sustaining the initiative, while calling for stronger collaboration among government, civil society, professional bodies, development partners and the media in strengthening transparency and bringing corruption to its knees.

By David Torough, Abuja

The political debate over Nigeria’s economic challenges and the future of the North has intensified ahead of the 2027 general elections, with the ruling All Progressives Congress (APC) and the Allied Peoples’ Movement (APM) offering sharply different explanations for the region’s persistent poverty and insecurity.

APC National Chairman, Prof.

Nentawe Yilwatda, has warned that the North could suffer increased poverty if President Bola Ahmed Tinubu fails to secure re-election in 2027, arguing that the region has benefited significantly from policies and projects implemented by the administration.

Yilwatda spoke on Monday while receiving former members of the African Democratic Congress (ADC), led by Princess Aslam Aliyu, who defected to the APC.

The APC chairman cited ongoing and completed road projects, the Nigerian Education Loan Fund (NELFUND), compressed natural gas (CNG) initiatives and fertiliser availability as among the programmes he said were benefiting people in the North.

He also defended the removal of the petrol subsidy, arguing that northern states were among the major beneficiaries of the resulting federal resources.

According to him, many states in the North were unable to pay workers’ salaries and pensioners’ gratuities before the Tinubu administration assumed office in 2023.

Yilwatda questioned the implication of proposals to restore the subsidy, particularly if such a move would reduce funds available for infrastructure and other government programmes.

He said the region could return to worsening poverty if the policies and projects he attributed to the Tinubu administration were reversed.

The APC chairman’s position, however, contrasts with that of APM Vice-Presidential candidate, Alhaji Lawal Daura, who attributed Nigeria’s continuing poverty and insecurity primarily to what he described as leadership failure.

Daura, the running mate to APM presidential candidate Seyi Makinde, spoke on Monday in Lafia, Nasarawa State, during an interview with journalists on the sidelines of the party’s North-Central Town Hall Meeting.

He argued that Nigeria possesses abundant human and natural resources, fertile land and a large domestic market capable of supporting prosperity, but that poverty and insecurity continue to persist because of shortcomings in leadership.

Daura said he and Makinde were offering themselves for public service rather than personal enrichment, stressing that both had achieved success in their private careers before venturing into politics.

He said the APM’s programme was aimed at “resetting Nigeria” and providing the country with a new direction, while calling on Nigerians, particularly young people, to support efforts for what he described as good governance.

The competing positions come as political parties begin to intensify mobilisation ahead of the 2027 elections, with both the ruling party and opposition groups seeking to present their respective programmes as the pathway to economic recovery and improved living conditions.

At the APC event, former ADC members pledged to support Tinubu’s 2027 re-election bid and asked the party leadership to integrate them into its structures.

Speaking on behalf of the defectors, Mohammed Hassan said their decision was intended to mark “a new chapter of service” and pledged their support for the APC and its mobilisation efforts.

Meanwhile, APM supporters in the North-Central region are also using music, social media and other forms of political communication to promote the party’s message.

Abubakar Dabai, chairman of the Kwararafa Artists Forum, said artists and TikTok influencers were being mobilised to take the party’s message beyond Nasarawa State. He said plans were also underway to establish a media office and engage journalists and online television operators in the North.

The political contest is therefore increasingly being framed around competing claims over the causes of poverty, insecurity and economic hardship, as parties seek to convince voters that their respective approaches would deliver better conditions for Nigerians ahead of the 2027 polls.

The PBAT Door-to-Door Movement, has  called on Nigerians to reelect President Bola Tinubu in the 2027 general election so that he can consolidate the economic reforms of his administration. 

Founder of the movement, Government Ekpemupolo, stated this on Monday, in Lafia, during the launch of grassroots mobilisation for Tinubu’s reelection.

Managing Director of Tantita Security Services, Kestin Pondi, who represented the founder, said the reforms had created challenges but noted that the reforms were necessary to deliver long-term economic benefits.

He urged the people of Nasarawa State to support Tinubu for another four-year term, stressing that “to whom much is given, much is expected.

”

Ekpemupolo, popularly known as Tompolo, said the movement’s assessment of developments along the road to Lafia showed ongoing construction projects, which he said demonstrates the impact of the administration’s policies and reforms.

“Reforms don’t come easy. Reforms come with their level of challenges. But those challenges are actually what reform is about,” he stated.

He said: “Today, on our way to Nasarawa, we passed through a lot of wonderful roads. We passed through a lot of construction sites. And what does that tell you? It tells you that President Bola Tinubu is working. His economic reforms are working.

“His local government autonomy policies are working. Today, governors can pay salaries. Governors can pay pensions. Governors can embark on very huge projects because, as a result of the policies of President Bola Tinubu, governors now have more resources to develop their states.”

Tompolo said the reforms require continuity, arguing that four years would not be enough to fully realise their benefits.

“These reforms need consolidation. Four years are not enough. The benefits of these reforms have not been fully experienced,” he said.

He also cited increased resources available to state governments, the absence of petrol queues and increased investment activity as developments he associated with the administration’s policies.

Tompolo said planned investments in Nasarawa State included a 6,000-metric-tonne lithium processing plant, housing projects and industrialisation initiatives.

Also speaking, Nasarawa State Governor, Abdullahi Sule, commended the PBAT Door-to-Door Movement for its support for Tinubu and the All Progressives Congress, APC, saying the state has benefited from the Federal Government’s economic reforms.

Sule said Nasarawa State has cleared outstanding gratuities accumulated since the creation of the state in 1996 and 2012.

He further claimed that the state had undertaken more than N100 billion in capital projects without borrowing from commercial banks, attributing the development to the Tinubu administration’s reforms.

According to him, the reforms had also encouraged investors to consider Nasarawa State by improving the investment environment.

The governor thanked the PBAT Door-to-Door Movement for providing vehicles and financial support for its grassroots mobilisation activities.

He said the support demonstrated commitment beyond verbal declarations of support for the President.

He expressed confidence in the support of Nasarawa voters for Tinubu’s re-election bid.

Earlier, the National Coordinator of the PBAT Door-to-Door Movement, Sunday Asuku, said Tompolo had mandated the organisation to mobilise voters across Nasarawa State for Tinubu.

Asuku said the movement believes the economic reforms introduced by the administration were necessary despite the challenges Nigerians were experiencing.

He urged Nigerians to compare the Tinubu administration’s policies with the records of opposition politicians who had previously held public office.

He said the Door-to-Door Movement would continue its grassroots mobilisation from local government to local government, ward to ward and polling unit to polling unit ahead of the 2027 election.

The launch featured the inauguration of coordinators across the state’s local government areas and the presentation of vehicles to support the movement’s grassroots mobilisation.