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Tag: SGF

  • Fed govt orders compulsory drug tests for public service job seekers

    Fed govt orders compulsory drug tests for public service job seekers

    The Federal Government has approved the introduction of mandatory pre-employment drug testing for all prospective applicants into the Nigerian Public Service, in a move aimed at curbing the growing menace of illicit drug use and safeguarding national productivity and security.

    The directive, conveyed through a service-wide circular issued by the Office of the Secretary to the Government of the Federation (SGF), mandates all Permanent Secretaries and Heads of Extra-Ministerial Departments and Parastatals to make drug testing a core requirement in the recruitment of new personnel across Ministries, Departments, and Agencies (MDAs).

    A statement issued by the Director of Information and Public Relations in the Office of the Secretary to the Government of the Federation, Segun Imohiosen, said under the new policy, MDAs are required to collaborate with the National Drug Law Enforcement Agency in conducting the tests, in line with established standards and procedures.

    According to the circular, the decision forms part of the present administration’s broader determination to decisively tackle drug and substance abuse and to insulate the nation’s workforce from practices considered inimical to efficiency, discipline, and public trust.

    Read Also: Fed Govt, Arthur Eze partner to drive innovation

    The Federal Government expressed concern over what it described as the alarming rate of drug and substance abuse, particularly among the country’s teeming youth population, warning that the trend poses serious risks to public health, workplace productivity, socio-economic development, and national security.

    There have been concerns that substance abuse within the public sector could undermine service delivery, compromise institutional integrity, and weaken the capacity of government to meet its development objectives.

    The circular emphasized that the introduction of compulsory drug testing at the entry point into public service is intended not as a punitive measure, but as a preventive step to promote a healthy, disciplined, and dependable workforce capable of driving national development.

  • SGF tasks Nigeria to play active role in sustainable development

    SGF tasks Nigeria to play active role in sustainable development

    Secretary to the Government of the Federation (SGF), Senator George Akume, has called on Nigeria and other African nations to take active ownership of their sustainable development agenda rather than relying solely on external solutions.

    Akume made this call during a press briefing ahead of the ‘Bi/Multilateral Africa Infrastructure and Climate Change Summit (AICIS) 2025’, scheduled to take place from August 11–14 in Abuja.

    The summit is being organised by the Africa Business Ventures and Investment Group (ABVIG), in collaboration with the SGF’s office, the Federal Ministries of Foreign Affairs, Women Affairs, Environment, and other key stakeholders.

    Represented by the Permanent Secretary of the Political and Economic Affairs Office, Engr. Nadungu Gagare, Akume stressed the importance of African agency in climate and infrastructure development.

    “As the world intensifies efforts to address climate change and infrastructure deficits, Africa must not remain a passive recipient. We must become active architects of our own sustainable future,” he said.

    He noted that the summit offers a critical platform to craft and implement collaborative strategies for building resilient infrastructure and driving climate action across the continent.

    Highlighting President Bola Ahmed Tinubu’s ‘Renewed Hope Agenda’, Akume said the administration has prioritised infrastructure development, environmental sustainability, energy transition, and inclusive economic growth, objectives that align seamlessly with the summit’s vision.

    He described the event as a “clarion call” to governments, private sector players, development partners, and the diplomatic community to harmonise their efforts, align policies, and pool resources for meaningful change.

    Read Also: Stock Exchange, IFC move to strengthen Nigeria’s sustainable finance

    “It is also an opportunity for Africa to reassert its voice and agency in the global climate discourse,” Akume added, “ensuring that our unique challenges and competitive advantages are at the forefront of shaping global solutions.”

    “Importantly, I am glad to note the strong emphasis on gender inclusion, as seen in the active involvement of the Ministry of Women Affairs. No transformative agenda can be achieved without empowering women and integrating their voices into development and climate solutions.

    “Let me reiterate the Federal Government’s support for this Summit and encourage all stakeholders to remain steadfast in the shared mission to build a prosperous, climate-resilient Africa anchored on inclusive infrastructure.”

     On his part, Moses Owharo, Chairman, Planning Committee, AICIS 2025, said the briefing reinforced stakeholder alignment with the Summit’s core pillars, Green Infrastructure, Climate Resilience, Gender Inclusion, and Bankable Investment Partnerships.

    He added, “This gathering is also an opportunity to echo the vision articulated by His Excellency, President Bola Ahmed Tinubu, at COP28 that Africa must not only participate in global climate discourse, but also lead with urgency, innovation, and collaboration. As he rightly emphasised, “Strategic investment in green infrastructure is the catalyst for inclusive growth and long-term climate security.”

  • Former SGF calls for restoration of family values at Abuja book launch

    Former SGF calls for restoration of family values at Abuja book launch

    Former Secretary to the Government of the Federation (SGF), Boss Mustapha, has urged parents and society at large to instill proper values in their children to prevent the rise of unruly behaviour. 

    He emphasised the need to restore family values as a cornerstone for building a more stable and orderly society.

    Mustapha made this appeal during the launch of On a Day Like This, a book authored by Edify Yakusak, in Abuja. 

    He charged parents, caregivers, and society to ensure children are well-prepared to meet societal demands through proper upbringing.

    Speaking at the event, Yakusak highlighted the erosion of family values and cultural norms, calling on the government to prioritize their restoration to foster a better nation.

    The Book’s reviewer, Samuel Kargo, described the work as a universal masterpiece, blending deep emotional resonance with cultural authenticity. 

    “The book has the power to transform reality with each word,” he said.

    Former Executive Director/CEO of the Nigerian Export Promotion Council (NEPC), Olusegun Awolowo, praised Yakusak’s creativity and boundary-pushing talent. 

    He encouraged her to continue her impactful literary journey, describing On a Day Like This as a “trusted piece of literature” and a spellbinding addition to her body of work, which now includes three acclaimed books.

  • Fed Govt reaffirms commitment to digital-first approach to governance

    Fed Govt reaffirms commitment to digital-first approach to governance

    The Secretary to the Government of the Federation (SGF), George Akume, has reaffirmed the federal government’s commitment to adopting a digital-first approach to governance, with a focus on driving sustainable national development.

    Akume made this statement during the 2024 Nigerian GOVTECH Conference and Awards, organized by the Bureau of Public Service Reforms in Abuja.

    The event, themed “Digital Innovation as a Catalyst for the Renewed Hope Agenda,” aligns with the administration’s ongoing efforts to transform service delivery and build an inclusive governance structure across the nation through digital innovation.

    He added: “Nigeria lives in a world that is rapidly evolving, where technology is not just a tool but a catalyst for driving transformative change in how government delivers its campaign promises. We therefore seek to modernize operations, streamline processes, and create more transparent and efficient systems of the public service which is the engine for the delivery of government policies to better respond to the needs and aspirations of the citizens.”

    Speaking, the Director General of the Bureau of Public Service Reforms, Dasuki Arabi said the Nigeria GovTech Conference and Awards is a reform initiative of the Bureau of Public Service Reforms aimed at bringing together government representatives at all levels, alongside key players in the technology industry, to discuss and identify ways in which new and emerging trends in ICT can be leveraged to transform public service delivery and enhance the overall well-being of Nigerians.

    Read Also: Fed Govt rolls out new curriculum for basic education

    This forum he said serves as a unique platform for a diverse ecosystem of GovTech stakeholders—including participants from the public and private sectors, interest groups, Development Partners, Media, Original Equipment Manufacturers (OEMs), and academia—to engage in policy discussions and practical implementation strategies that foster digital transformation and deliver a positive experience for citizens.

    The minister of Youths, Jamila Ibrahim Biu said the youths are the driving force behind innovation in the digital realm. Young people are the catalysts for innovation. Every change is driven by digital technology. “We are well-equipped to harness this potential, as we are often more familiar with the latest tools and technologies”.

    She said the focus should be on how the government can positively impact the lives of young people. The government has engaged with various sectors, including road safety and correctional services, and is committed to working collaboratively to promote genuine reform.

  • SGF: govt working to improve economy

    SGF: govt working to improve economy

    Secretary to the Government of the Federation (SGF) George Akume yesterday urged Nigerians to remain calm notwithstanding the prevailing economic challenges.

    “Nigerians must remain calm. President Bola Tinubu is working to improve the economy,” Akume said in Abuja while addressing the National Executive Council of the Christian Association of Nigeria (CAN).

    He said that the current administration took over power when the economy was in a turbulent state, noting, however, that massive reforms were being undertaken.

    “One of them, which appears to be a little bit tough for people to understand, is the removal of subsidy on fuel. People should stop shouting; they need to know the actual truth,” Akume stated.

    He said that government had taken several measures to address current hardships, including swift actions in implementing palliatives to cushion the effects of the reforms.

    Akume said: “We are all aware of the N35, 000 wage award for workers, which means a N30, 000 minimum wage with N35,000 on top of that.

    “Additionally, N100 billion for CNG fuel buses will help reduce transportation costs and food prices,” he added.

    On the measures taken by the government to support various sectors, he said: “These include the allocation of N125 billion in conditional grants and financial inclusion for medium and small enterprises, and 150 billion naira in palliative loans to states to mitigate the impact of fuel subsidy removal.

    “We are providing 200 billion naira to support the cultivation of hectares of land, which is even more now.”

    The SGF added that there were buses ready to be distributed soon, while rice and other essentials would also be made available.

    On the suspended strike by Labour, Akume condemned the shutdown of the national grid, describing it as a “treasonable offence”.

    Read Also: Tinubu working to improve economy, Akume assures CAN

    He said that there was nowhere in the world where Labour ever interrupted the national grid, and advised Labour against actions that could jeopardise government efforts.

    Akume said: “It is treason! Treasonable felony is economic sabotage, you don’t do that. We are trying to rebuild the economy. The nation is picking up, and they want to destroy it. Of what use is that to all of us? That is not the way.”

    Akume said that the federal government was not only committed to paying new minimum wage, stressing that it was also focusing on productivity and economic stability.

    The SGF said: “Our people must rise up and have something in their pockets. It is not about demanding N100, 000 without productivity.

    “We are looking at controlling inflation and ensuring a balanced economy.”

  • Stop using my office to issue fake appointments, says SGF

    Stop using my office to issue fake appointments, says SGF

    The Secretary to the Government of the Federation (SGF), Senator George Akume, has warned those using his office to issue fake appointments to members of the public to desist.

    Akume gave the warning in a statement by the Head of Information in the Office of the SGF, Mr. Segun Imohiosen, yesterday in Abuja.

    The SGF said the warning was borne out of the purported fake appointments emanating from his office by unscrupulous elements to swindle unsuspecting individuals.

    He debunked the information circulating on the social media, emails, text messages, and other outlets, which lured members of the public to submit their curriculum vitae (CV) at a fee to a non-existing desk in his office.

    “The culprit has been using the name of the former Director Information, Willie Bassey, and these fraudulent contacts: Aliyu Isah; +234 9168487156, +234 8035557865 and email draliyu95@gmail.com, among others, to defraud unsuspecting Nigerians.

    Read Also: Stop disgracing our heritage – Internet users criticise Adeboye for sitting on Oyo monarch’s throne

    “The general public is by this notice advised to be wary of the perpetrators of these dubious activities and their cohorts and disregard such information being peddled around.

    “Any official enquiry and clarification should follow the official communication channels of the OSGF via www.osgf.gov.ng and info@osgf.gov.ng,” the statement said.

    The SGF warned peddlers of such fraudulent requests to desist from using the office of the SGF to fleece unsuspecting members of the public or face the full wrath of the law.

  • ‘Why Northcentral deserves SGF in Buhari’s second term’

    A group, the ‘Next Level Programme Coalition (NLPC), has urged President Muhammadu Buhari to appoint the next Secretary to the Government  of  the Federation (SGF) from the Northcentral zone.

    The group said President Buhari, being a pan-Nigerian leader, must ensure equal distribution of positions among the six geo-political zones in his second term tenure.

    It added that allotting the sensitive position to the zone would help in clearing the doubt that President Buhari only believed in the Northwest and Northeast, which his critics had been deploying as a campaign weapon to smear the President’s personality and reduced his national status.

    In a statement by its National President, Dr. Ibrahim Sanni Doguwa, and National  Secretary,  Mr. Olufemi Akanbi, the group said with the confusion and cries of marginalisation in some zones, appointments must spread evenly across the zones to remove the vestiges of concentration of powers in certain areas.

    It added: “With the way positions have been shared by APC national leaders, the President and Vice President have gone to the Northwest and Southwest, the Northeast is to produce the Senate President, South south, the senate president and southwest the  Speaker.

    “For the purpose of political balancing, the north central  should produce the next SGF , which is regarded as another pivotal position in the country in the spirit of equity, justice and fair play”.

    The group reiterated its call for the appointment of former Benue State Governor, Senator George Akume into the position, describing him as a stabiliser and detrabilised Nigerian, who can bring the country together.

    “Ex-Governor Akume is a bridge between the old and young generation politicians in the country .

    “Apart from his vast experience in the public service, he is acceptable to all ethnic groups and religious bodies in the country as well as traditional institution.

    “Aside from the foregoing, he also musters respect and followership across all political parties, including those in the fold of the Peoples Democratic Party (PDP).

    “Politician if this stuff will add value to governance and bring stability to the country if given a chance to head such a strategic position”, he stated.

     

  • SGF brokers reconciliation in Adamawa APC

    The Secretary to the Government of the Federation (SGF), Boss Mustapha, has said that the conflict among some members of the ruling All Progressives Congress (APC) in Adamawa State will be resolved and Governor Mohammed Jibrilla Bindow will be re-elected to do his second term.

    Conflict persists in the APC in the state, with notable names like Nuhu Ribadu and Ahmed Modi, both of who lost to Bindow in last October’s governorship primaries yet to reconcile with Bindow who got the ticket, but

    Boss Mustapha told newsmen in Yola Sunday night that he had been holding reconciliation meetings with all stakeholders and would continue to do so until all contending issues were resolved and everyone brought under one APC to rally support for Bindow as Nigerians go to the polls this Saturday for the governorship election.

    “We had a stakeholders meeting in my office in Abuja and my coming here this evening is in furtherance of that effort. One thing I can assure you is that we are coming out stronger, focused and more resolved to retain Adamawa as an APC state,” the SGF said.

    He added that he and lots of the leaders in the APC family had tasted the bitter pills of electoral defeats and would work hard to avoid a defeat in Adamawa.

    He said the APC lost Adamawa State by a slight margin in the presidential election only because the opposition People’s Democratic Party (PDP) presented a candidate (Atiku Abubakar) who is an indigene of the state and had established himself as a strong political force.

    “Atiku Abubakar has been a constant feature in the politics of this state for decades. He served eight years as vice president, whether we like to take it or not. He has a political family in Adamawa State, Boss Mustapha said, adding that the APC did not do too badly despite Atiku’s factor as APC’s loss was by only some 32,000 votes, unlike in Buhari’s own state, Katsina, where APC won by some 900,000 votes.

    Answering a question on his position and how Adamawa has benefitted from it, Boss Mustapha said his appointment in the first place was by the special grace of God.

    He said, “I am most grateful for the opportunity I have had to be the SGF. I am not the mist qualified. I ascribe my ascendance to that office to the grace of God and the favour extended by President Muhammadu Buhari to Adamawa State. I told my staff that I didn’t come into the office with any special skill. I have only one qualification: the grace of God on my life. And every morning I ask him to help me and I depend on him to run my office.”

    He added that his appointment from Adamawa State to replace his predecessor who also comes from Adamawa was a privilege extended to the state by President Muhammadu Buhari, and that he had succeeded in using his office to influence the rehabilitation of roads across Adamawa State, of extending the planned Abuja-Gombe dual carriage way from Gombe to Yola, and of extending the Port Harcourt-Maiduguri rail track to Yola and other state capitals, among other things.

  • Buhari, Osinbajo, Tinubu, others meet in Abuja

    President Muhammadu Buhari and other leaders of the All Progressives Congress (APC) on Monday met in Abuja in the party’s caucus meeting.

    The meeting started at the APC National Secretariat around 11.30am when the President arrived.

    Those in attendance included the National Leader of the APC, Asiwaju Bola Ahmed Tinubu, and National Chairman of the APC, Adams Oshiomhole.

    State governors at the meeting included that of Zamfara, Osun, Ondo, Ekiti, Jigawa, Borno, Bauchi, Kebbi, Niger, Lagos and Kaduna state.

    Read Also: Buhari: no plan to remove INEC Chairman Yakubu

    Also in attendance were the Senate leader, Ahmad Lawan, senators, Secretary to the Government of the Federation(SGF), Boss Mustapha, ministers, among others.

    Discussions at the meeting will not be unconnected with the issues affecting the party, including the postponement of the general elections by a week.

  • Buhari’ ll achieve landslide victory, says SGF

    SECRETARY to the Government of the Federation (SGF) Boss Mustapha has said that President Muhammadu Buhari will achieve landslide victory in the forthcoming presidential elections.

    He spoke Wednesday night during a meeting of All Progressives Congress (APC) stakeholders at the home of the Federal Capital Territory (FCT) Minister, Malam Muhammad Bello, in Abuja.

    Mustapha urged the party faithful to forge a united front in this campaign season as it is only through unity and purposefulness would the party be able to achieve victory at the polls.

    “The APC as a big family, we have already put behind us the sad chapter of what transpired during the primaries in a consolidated manner. It’s going to be landslide victory for President Buhari and we are rest assured that God willing, we are going to the next level,” the SGF said.

    It was agreed at the meeting that Bello should lead APC campaign council as the party prepares to win the elections in the FCT.

    Bello emphasised that the party was going into the electioneering campaign as one family.

    As chairman of the APC Campaign Council, the FCT Minister, is head of the main policy-making and strategy planning body. Bello is to be supported by the APC State Chairman, Abdulmalik Ahmed Usman, as his deputy.

    According to a statement issued yesterday by the Chief Press Secretary to the FCT Minister, Cosmas Uzodinma, other members of the council include National Assembly aspirants, Board of Trustees members, National Executives representing FCT, Area Council Chairmen and the Campaign Director-General among others.

    The campaign, the minister said, will begin with tour of the FCT Area Councils, culminating in a mega national rally of the party billed for the Abuja Capital City.

    The FCT Minister added that the setting up of the campaign council followed the reconciliation committee set up by the APC in the FCT, headed by Senator Sidi Ali, to reconcile aggrieved aspirants and other party members after the primary elections.

    The Campaign Director-General, Musa Yahaya Mohammed, said: “We held a stakeholders meeting where the leadership resolved that the FCT is solidly for APC and we have resolved also that we are going to give President Muhammadu Buhari the highest number of possible votes in the APC.”