THE FORUM of President Bola Ahmed Tinubu’s Chief Executive Officers (PBAT CEOs) has pledged to mobilise support for the re-election of the president in 2027 and the sustenance of the Renewed Hope Agenda.
The Convener of the forum and Director-General/Chief Executive Officer of the National Board for Technology Incubation (NBTI), Dr Kazeem Raji, made the pledge at the forum’s maiden meeting on Thursday in Abuja.
The meeting had the theme: “Strengthening Collective Leadership, Mobilisation and Support for the Re-election of President Bola Tinubu and the Renewed Hope Agenda.”
Raji said the forum was established to bring together heads of Federal Government agencies appointed by Tinubu to support the administration’s programmes and contribute to national development.
He described Tinubu as a courageous reformer who had taken difficult decisions to address longstanding structural challenges in the country.
“The appointment of chief executives by Mr President is not merely a position of honour. It is a mandate to serve and contribute meaningfully to national development.
“President Bola Tinubu is a courageous reformer and visionary leader who has chosen to confront difficult and entrenched structural challenges rather than postpone them,” Raji said.
According to him, the administration has undertaken major reforms, including fuel subsidy removal, unification of the foreign exchange market, fiscal and tax reforms, power sector reforms, development finance initiatives and infrastructure expansion.
He also identified increased domestic refining capacity, expansion of Compressed Natural Gas (CNG) infrastructure, investments in education and housing, and interventions in agriculture, healthcare, technology, innovation, power and digital connectivity as some of the administration’s achievements.
“These achievements deserve to be communicated responsibly and clearly to Nigerians.
“The President has demonstrated that leadership is not merely about making popular decisions; it is also about making necessary decisions and having the courage to stay the course until the benefits become evident.”
Raji said the reforms required continuity to enable Nigerians fully benefit from them, stressing that long-term development programmes should not be repeatedly disrupted by political transitions.
“We cannot afford to repeatedly interrupt long-term national development programmes because of political transitions.
“Where policies are working, they should be strengthened. Where programmes are yielding results, they should be expanded. Where reforms require adjustment, they should be improved,” he said.
The convener described members of the forum as “foot soldiers” of the Renewed Hope Agenda, saying their duty was to translate the President’s vision into programmes, projects, services and opportunities for Nigerians.
Raji urged members to document the achievements of their respective agencies and make the public aware of their impact.
“Our responsibility is to translate presidential vision into programmes, projects, services, opportunities and tangible results.
“Our performance forms part of the administration’s scorecard. We must be able to show Nigerians what our agencies have achieved and the lives that have been touched,” he said.
He said the forum would promote coordination and collaboration among government agencies, while reducing duplication of efforts and ensuring that institutions remained aligned with the priorities of the Renewed Hope Agenda.
“This forum is a strategic platform for collective leadership, coordination, peer engagement, experience-sharing, policy support, mobilisation and national service,” Raji said.
He said the forum would also support public understanding of government reforms, strengthen grassroots engagement and promote ethical, lawful and issue-based participation ahead of the 2027 presidential election.
He urged members to use their professional networks and relationships across the states and local governments to explain government policies, correct misinformation and encourage informed civic participation.
“Our responsibility is not to compel anyone. It is to inform, engage, persuade through performance and present the facts about the progress being made,” he said.
He stressed that the forum’s mobilisation activities must respect the law and the choices of Nigerians.
“Such engagement must be conducted within the law and with integrity, discipline and respect for the choices of Nigerians,” he said.
Raji urged members to measure the impact of their agencies by identifying the number of beneficiaries of their programmes, jobs facilitated, investments attracted, innovations commercialised and infrastructure delivered.
“We must ask ourselves: How many Nigerians have benefited from our programmes? How many jobs have we facilitated? How much investment have we attracted? How many innovations have we commercialised and how much infrastructure have we delivered?” he said.
He called for a forum based on professionalism and constructive support for the administration.
“We must build unity without uniformity, loyalty without sycophancy, support without compromising professionalism, and political participation without abandoning the principles of public service,” he said.
Raji said the forum’s central message was that “one good term deserves another,” arguing that the benefits of reforms could only be fully realised through consistency and continuity.
He urged members to support one another, identify areas of collaboration and communicate the administration’s achievements based on verifiable facts.
Raji said the maiden meeting marked the beginning of collective leadership, strategic collaboration and responsible mobilisation in support of the Renewed Hope Agenda.
He expressed confidence that the forum would contribute to consolidating the gains of the administration and support Tinubu’s re-election in 2027 through lawful, peaceful, ethical, issue-based and grassroots-oriented engagement.
He urged members to justify the confidence reposed in them by the President through performance, competence, courage, loyalty and integrity.
The News Agency of Nigeria (NAN) reports that the forum comprises chief executive officers, directors-general, managing directors, executive vice-chairmen and heads of Federal Government agencies.
They include Aliyu Abdullah, Managing Director of the Upper Niger River Basin Development Authority; George Olumoroti, Managing Director/CEO of the Lower Niger River Basin Development Authority (LNRBDA); and Prince Ebitimi Amgbare, Managing Director/CEO of the Niger Delta River Basin Development Authority (NDRBDA).
Others are Dr Ronke Soyombo, Registrar/CEO of the Teachers Registration Council of Nigeria (TRCN), and Dr Mahmud Mohammed, Managing Director/CEO of the Upper Benue River Basin Development Authority.
The list also includes Dr Olushola Odusanya, CEO of the National Centre for Technology Management (NACETEM), and Dr Kayode Opeifa, Managing Director of the Nigeria Railway Corporation, among others. (NAN)
