By Philomina Attah
A socio-political movement, Nigeria Forward (NF), has urged Nigerians to support President Bola Tinubu’s re-election in 2027, saying his administration’s reforms are driving infrastructure, connectivity, production and job creation.
The Minister of Innovation, Science and Technology, Dr Kingsley Udeh (SAN), made the call at the official unveiling of Nigeria Forward (NF) on Friday in Abuja.
Udeh, who is also a co-convener of the group, said President Bola Tinubu’s Renewed Hope Agenda was about creating the conditions for Nigeria to prosper and build secure livelihoods.
He advised that the nation’s development story, particularly in the North, should transcend political slogans and focus on measurable impacts in local communities.
“President Tinubu’s Renewed Hope Agenda is fundamentally about creating the conditions for Nigeria to produce, innovate, invest, work, prosper, and build secure livelihoods,” Udeh said.
According to him, infrastructure, digital connectivity and agricultural investments are designed to transition the nation from reform to production, job creation and social stability.
He said citizens must ask important questions about what was being built, where such projects were located, the problems they addressed, beneficiaries, opportunities created and the status of ongoing projects.
“This is the essence of informed citizenship.
“A road is more than asphalt when it enables a farmer to reach a market. A railway is more than steel and tracks when it reduces the cost of moving goods.
“Reliable energy is more than electricity when it allows a manufacturer to produce competitively.
“Digital connectivity is more than infrastructure when it enables a young Nigerian in Kano, Kaduna, Maiduguri or Minna to participate in the global digital economy.
“That is the development trajectory President Tinubu is and has been curating for Nigerians, moving Nigeria from: Reform to Infrastructure. Infrastructure to Connectivity. Connectivity to Production. Production to Jobs. Jobs to Prosperity,” he said.
The minister called on leaders, and members of the movement to engage citizens constructively and campaign responsibly by projecting the administration’s achievements ahead of the 2027 general elections.
“Let our voices reach every state, every community, every nook and cranny of our beloved nation, particularly our young people.
“Our collective responsibility is to convert our extraordinary human capital into productive capacity by supporting our President to consolidate the benefits of the Renewed Hope Agenda,” he added.
Udeh said Nigerians must celebrate progress where it had occurred, acknowledge challenges where they remained and distinguish between what had been proposed, approved, commenced, completed and delivered.
“Patriotism does not require us to abandon accountability; indeed, responsible citizenship demands both,” he added.
Udeh described Nigeria Forward as a vital socio-political bridge designed to connect government policies directly to citizens, drive bottom-up development and mobilise support for the Tinubu administration.
He said the platform was founded on a shared responsibility to sustain and consolidate the gains of the Renewed Hope Agenda.
According to him, policies achieve their greatest impact when citizens actively understand and take ownership of them.
“The Nigeria we seek is one where our people are not merely spectators to development, but active participants in it.
“Nigeria Forward is that bridge between policy and the people, between investment and opportunity, between citizens and institutions, and between today’s challenges and tomorrow’s possibilities,” he said.
The minister said the movement’s core objective was to translate governance achievements into tangible opportunities, with a focus on digital transformation, youth empowerment, enterprise and evidence-based engagement.
The co-convener of the movement and Kano State Commissioner for Information and Internal Affairs, Mr Ibrahim Waiya, urged citizens to give Tinubu a fair chance to consolidate political stability and administrative reforms.
He urged Nigerians to embrace unity and actively engage their elected leaders to drive sustainable national development, noting that the country was gradually becoming more united.
“There have been so many agitators from the South-West, South-East, North, and South so many in different regions of the country.
“But for now, we can say the country is gradually becoming more united day by day, and this is something that we can all actually fight for,” Waiya said.
He called on political actors in the North to support Tinubu’s second term, citing the unwritten power-rotation arrangement between the North and South as necessary for political equity, national stability and fairness.
Waiya said the North had completed an eight-year tenure under former President Muhammadu Buhari, adding that fairness required allowing Tinubu to complete a full two-term tenure before power returned to the North.
“Don’t forget, so as to be fair, the North had its own eight years under Muhammadu Buhari, and now the South is having its own under Tinubu.
“The North should not be unfair to the South. Interrupting will destabilise a lot of things and jeopardise what we are achieving,” he said.
On key achievements of the administration, Waiya cited the granting of local government autonomy and timely disbursement of federal funds to sub-national governments as significant achievements under the current leadership.
He urged Nigerians to look inward and demand accountability from state and local authorities rather than attributing every developmental deficit solely to the Federal Government.
Waiya also commended the administration’s policy framework towards establishing state police, describing it as a measure aimed at addressing the country’s persistent security challenges.
“This is one measure aimed at providing a permanent solution to the security challenges we are facing in the country.
“The state police structure will allow states to employ indigenous citizens who understand their local terrain and internal security problems better,” he added, noting that Kano State had already begun its implementation process.
Earlier in his welcome address, the Chairman of Kaura Namoda Local Government Area of Zamfara State, Malam Munir Haidara, described Nigeria Forward as a collective movement dedicated to fostering peace, national unity and inclusive economic growth.
Haidara acknowledged the leadership of the project for driving the initiative.
He noted that the movement brought together traditional leaders, women entrepreneurs, civil society organisations and key political actors to reaffirm a shared commitment to national progress and responsible citizenship.
“Nigeria Forward is conceived as a platform for constructive engagement, mobilisation, and collaboration among citizens committed to peace, stability, and sustainable national development,” Haidara said. (NAN)
Edited by Funmilayo Adeyemi