The Secretary to the Government of the Federation, George Akume, said this year’s Independence Day would be  “a time for reflections…to think very deeply as a people and the journey forward. This journey is being charted by the captain of the ship.”

Akume revealed this to State House Correspondents after he emerged from closed-door talks with Vice President Kashim Shettima at the Aso Rock Villa, Abuja.

The former Minister of Special Duties, who was reluctant to reveal the full details of issues discussed, said it bordered on plans for the Independence Day.

“Independence is a very historic event for any country and we Nigerians are no exemptions.

“We are fully prepared for celebrations and for obvious reasons, it going to be low-key and we are wishing Nigerians the best of luck and I want to assure them that better days are coming and pretty soon too.

“This is going to be low key; we are not going on fantastic jamboree at the Eagle Square and other locations,” the SGF said.

Speaking at a presidential stakeholders meeting held at the Government House in Makurdi on Monday, October 26, the Minister explained why the report cannot be relied upon in response to Governor Samuel Ortom’s call for the conference report to be revisited or for a Sovereign National Conference to be convened to discuss the various challenges facing the country.

Akume said “The confab report cannot be relied upon because it defies equality as the number of people who came from the East outnumbered the North. I was at the National Assembly then, but I did not know those who represented me. They (representatives) were merely handpicked without my knowledge.”