By Sufuyan Ojeifo
Barring any last minute changes, President Bola Tinubu will swear in the new Secretary to the Government of the Federation (SGF), Senator George Akume, today, Wednesday, June 7, 2023.
Recall that President Tinubu had, last Friday, announced the appointment of Akume in a statement signed by the Director of Information, State House, Mr Abiodun Oladunjoye.
His appointment was announced alongside those of Tinubu’s Chief of Staff, Femi Gbamajamilia and Deputy Chief of Staff, Hassan Ibrahim Hadejia.
The appointment of Akume, a former Benue State Governor (from 1999 to 2007) from the North Central zone, has been roundly applauded by Nigerians from all walks of life.
He is described as a perfect fit for the job, even as his political antecedents are in pari materia with those of President Bola Tinubu at the 2011 intersection when he (Akume) dumped the Peoples Democratic Party for the Action Congress of Nigeria (ACN) on which platform he secured his reelection to the Senate.
Tinubu, as the then leader of the ACN (which was one of the parties that formed the legacy APC in 2014) had endorsed Akume for the position of Minority Leader in the Senate.
Akume had functioned in that position from 2011 to 2015.
He was again reelected to the Senate from 2015-2019.
He had shown interest in the Senate Presidency with the APC as the majority party in the Senate, but was persuaded by the leadership of the party to withdraw for Ahmed Lawan even though Lawan was beaten to the position by Bukola Saraki.
From 2019 to 2023, Akume served as Minister of Special Duties and Inter-Governmental Affairs.
While serving as minister, he expressed interest in being the national chairman of the party.
He was a leading aspirant and was as good as becoming the APC national chair until suddenly some forces in the Presidency decided in the eleventh hour that Abdullahi Adamu should lead the party.
Akume consistently and persistently remained committed to the peace, growth, and stability of the party.
He did not complain. He did not attempt to rock the boat. In fact, President Muhammadu Buhari had given him the responsibility of rallying the other aspirants for the position of national chairman to support Abdullahi Adamu as a consensus candidate for the position.
Regardless, Akume had fixed his eyes on the ball of APC, taking over Benue State from the PDP.
He had ensured the emergence of Rev Father Hyacinth Alia, a popular Catholic clergyman in the state, as the governorship candidate of the APC, after about three governorsip primary elections.
Akume’s political goodwill and Alia’s near cult followership by the people of the predominantly Catholic Benue had won the governorship of the state for the APC.
Before the guber poll, Akume had led the electoral onslaught that saw President Bola Tinubu emerge winner of the presidential poll in Benue State, pushing Peter Obi of the Labour Party to the second position.
As Akume is sworn in today, barring any changes in plan, he brings to his new office a wealth of experience from both the executive and the legislative arms- having been a governor, Senator, and minister.
Besides, he is also well versed in forging harmonious industrial relations, having obtained a masters’ degree in Labour Relations from the Unuversity of Ibadan.
He is expected to bring his robust experience in forging labour relations to the table, particularly now that the federal government is engaging the Organised Labour on the removal of fuel subsidy.
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