Nigerian President, Bola Ahmed Tinubu has dispelled the rumours of disagreement with governors while expressing his commitment to local government development, autonomy, and stressed its importance for grassroots development.
Tinubu during a New Year homage by Vice President Kashim Shettima and members of the Nigeria Governors Forum (NGF) at his Ikoyi residence on Wednesday, expressed his gratitude for their support and collaboration while highlighting key areas requiring joint effort for the nation’s progress.
According to him, “We will not fight within us. I will drive the change. You control your local governments. You can restore hope by effectively fulfilling what the people expect at the grassroots level.
“There were gossips that we had disagreements on local government autonomy. No. Just drive development at the local government. Nobody wants to take them away from you, but need collaboration. Let’s do it together and ensure Nigeria is better off for it”, he said.
The President emphasised the critical role of state govs in driving Nigeria’s development and prosperity, saying their leadership at the subnational level is central to achieving food security, economic prosperity and rapid national growth.
He called for stronger collaboration between the federal and state govts to address pressing challenges, including local government autonomy, agricultural productivity, and currency stability.
In a statement released by his aide, Tinubu urged governors to prioritise agricultural growth as a pathway to economic stability.
“We have to work harder, grow more, and ensure the situation of our currency improves. Nigeria will see prosperity, but it requires consistent effort from all of us,” he said.
While appealed to them to take pride in their efforts, he acknowledged their progress across states. “There is no state we cannot visit and be proud of its development. We have better allocations now. Let me take the abuse; you take the privileges. Together, we will build a nation we are all proud of,” he said.
Reflecting on his leadership journey in the last 19 months, the President expressed confidence in Nigeria’s capacity to thrive given the resilience and leadership demonstrated by the administration.
“I am glad I asked for this job, and Nigerians gave me the mandate. We’ll be on this voyage together. I thank all of you for where we are today and where we are heading,” he said.
The President announced that he will be visiting Enugu State on January 4 as part of his planned visits to some states of the federation.
He welcomed his declaration by ThisDAY newspaper as Man Of The Year and hailed the newspaper for recognising “what they considered a failure initially, but is now a success.”
Abdulrahman Abdulrazak, chairman of the Nigeria Governors Forum and Governor of Kwara State, described ThisDay’s decision to name President Tinubu Man of the Year as a significant endorsement of the administration’s policies.
He noted that the acknowledgement from a media outlet known for critical media coverage during the campaign reflects the tangible progress made under President Tinubu’s leadership.
“The policies are working. In agriculture, I was in Jigawa. The complaint in Jigawa was that there was a bumper harvest, but because of the strength of our currency, traders exported the harvest.“So, most of us are encouraging ourselves to buy bumper stocks into our silos, store them for the rainy day. So, in terms of agriculture, the policy is working.
“We’ll continue to deepen that and ensure we are 100% sustained in food security and feed the whole of West Africa,” he said.
The governor urged the President to visit various states to see the ongoing transformations and progress firsthand.
He assured the President of the steadfast support of the governors, particularly in contributing to local security architecture to further enhance the nation’s security.
“I must confess that I have not done two years in this administration, but I’ve done more projects in two years than in the four years of my first term”, Governor Abdulrazaq said.
“We are getting more funding due to the restructuring of the economy. Yes, there is inflation, but we are overriding it,” the governor said.
