President Bola Tinubu has asked state governors to drive development in the local governments of their respective states.
He said: “You own the land, and the job is in your hands. Just drive development at the local governments. Nobody wants to take them away from you, but we need collaboration.”
The President, who spoke today, January 1, when members of the Nigerian Governors’Forum (NGF), visited him at his Ikoyi, Lagos residence, stressed that their leadership at the subnational level is central to achieving food security, economic prosperity and rapid national growth.
He emphasized the need for stronger collaboration between the federal and state governments to address pressing challenges, including local government autonomy, agricultural productivity, and currency stability.
He expressed his commitment to local government development and autonomy, even as he stressed its importance for grassroots development.
He however 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.”
Tinubu debunked gossips that he and governors had disagreements on local government autonomy, even as he called for cooperation to ensure that Nigeria is better off.
President Tinubu advised the 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.”
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.”
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.
This was even as the chairman of the Nigeria Governors Forum and Governor of Kwara State, Abdulrahman Abdulrazak assured the President of the 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.
“We are getting more funding due to the restructuring of the economy. Yes, there is inflation, but we are overriding it.”