President Bola Ahmed Tinubu has denied speculations making the rounds that he is at war with state governors over his push for local government autonomy across the country.
In July 2024, the Supreme Court delivered a landmark judgement affirming financial autonomy for the 774 local government areas in the country.
Even though many of the governors rushed to conduct local government elections in their states, their body language has shown that many are not comfortable with the move initiated by the federal government.
But addressing state governors who paid him New Year homage led by Vice President Kashim Shettima and members of the Nigeria Governors Forum (NGF), Tinubu emphasised the critical role of state governors 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.
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“You are the most important link to Nigeria’s prosperity and development. The federal government accounts for about 30 to 35 per cent of the allocated revenue; the rest comes to you. The agricultural value chain depends on you. You own the land, and the job is in your hands,” he said.
President Tinubu called for stronger collaboration between the federal and state governments to address pressing challenges, including local government autonomy, agricultural productivity and currency stability.
Expressing his commitment to local government development and autonomy, the president stressed its importance for grassroots development and dispelled rumours of disagreement with the governors.
“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 we need collaboration. Let’s do it together and ensure Nigeria is better off for it.”
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.
He also urged the governors to take pride in their efforts and acknowledged their progress across the 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 also announced that he will be visiting Enugu State on January 4 as part of his planned visits to some states of the federation.
Abdulrahman Abdulrazak, chairman of the Nigeria Governors Forum and Governor of Kwara State, said, “The policies are working. In agriculture, I was in Jigawa. The complaint in Jigawa was that there was 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 Abdulrazak 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.
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