"You Are The Most Important Link to Nigeria’s Prosperity and Development", Tinubu Tells Nigerian Governors
Olufemi Orunsola
Nigeria's President, Asiwaju Bola Ahmed Tinubu has emphasized the pivotal role of state governors in driving Nigeria’s development and prosperity, noting that their leadership at the subnational level is central to achieving food security, economic prosperity and rapid national growth.
Tinubu affirmed this in the new year during a courtesy visit paid to him by Vice President Kashim Shettima and members of the Nigeria Governors Forum (NGF) at his Ikoyi residence in Lagos.
The President who expressed his gratitude to the Governors for their support and collaboration, reiterated that there are key areas of constitution as l responsibilities with which the Governors are saddled that require concerted efforts to drive peace, progress and prosperity in the country.
In his words, “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."
The Nigerian President appealed to the Governors for stronger collaboration with the federal governments in the drive to address dire challenges facing the country. including local government autonomy, agricultural productivity, and currency stability.
While reiterating 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", the President appealed, noting that 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.”
He also urged the Governors to prioritise agricultural growth as a pathway to economic stability, saying, "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".
Tinubu took advantage of the occasion to take inventory of his leadership journey in the last 19 months, expressing confidence in Nigeria’s capacity to thrive, given the resilience and leadership demonstrated by his 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 seized the opportunity to announced that he will be visiting Enugu State on January 4 as part of his planned visits to some states of the federation.
Tinubu also welcomed his declaration by ThisDAY newspaper as Man Of The Year.
He commended the newspaper for recognising “what they considered a failure initially, but is now a success.”
In his response, the Chairman of the Nigeria Governors Forum and Governor of Kwara State,
Abdulrahman Abdulrazak, described ThisDay’s decision to name President Tinubu Man of the Year as a significant endorsement of the administration’s policies, noting that the recognition from a media outlet known for critical media coverage during the campaign reflects the tangible progress made under President Tinubu’s leadership.
“These 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 who urged the President to visit various states to see the ongoing transformations and progress firsthand assured the President of the steadfast support of the governors, particularly in contributing to local security architecture to further enhance the nation’s security.
AbdulRasaq acknowledged that there are still many challenges facing the country, there has been appreciable improvements.
"We are getting more funding due to the restructuring of the economy. Yes, there is inflation, but we are overriding it,” the NGF Chairman said.
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