President Bola Tinubu has urged the Secretary to the Government of the Federation (SGF), George Akume, and Governor Hyacinth Alia of Benue State to mend fences for the peace and development of the state.
Tinubu, represented by the Vice-President Kashim Shettima, made the appeal at the Progressives Governors Forum Renewed Hope Ambassadors Summit 2026, held at the State House Conference Hall on Tuesday.
The News Agency of Nigeria (NAN) reports that the theme of the summit was: “Taking Renewed Hope to the Grassroots: One party, One message, One Mobilization Framework.”
The Nigerian leader emphasised the need for the SGF to reach out to Governor Alia to build Benue State together.
Tinubu said: “Benue deserves peace, Benue deserves development.
“I want to use this special forum to make an appeal to the SGF and Governor Alia to mend fences and move the state forward.
“What binds us together as I always said supersedes whatever that divides us.
“The trajectory of global growth is facing Africa and Nigeria will make or mar that transition.
“Nigeria is greater than all of us.
“As Martin King Luther rightly said, we either learn to live together as brothers or perish together as fools.
“And we are not a nation of fools.
“We are a nation of very intelligent, very smart people that know their onions.”
Tinubu said his administration had shifted focus from stabilisation in 2025 to acceleration in 2026, with the N58.18 trillion 2026 budget anchoring the new phase.
He said that the summit calls for reflection on the administration’s reforms, the sacrifices made and the responsibilities to translate vision into measurable impact for Nigerians.
He said: “As we advance into 2026, our focus shifts from stabilisation to acceleration.
“The N58.18 trillion budget shall anchor this new phase.
“A record capital expenditure, the largest allocation to national security in the history of our country and prudent revenue projections, we are scaling growth while strengthening resilience.”
The President said that the administration’s landmark tax reforms were “introduced to protect the vulnerable, encourage enterprise, and entrench transparency in public finance”.
He cited the recent Executive Order affecting remittances to the Federation Account, designed to safeguard federation revenues, eliminate duplicative structures, curb waste, and ensure better management of national resources.
“Today, we are seeing clear signs that our reforms have begun to yield results. Inflationary pressures are moderating, fuel prices are easing, our currency is strong and stable,” he stated.
