President Bola Tinubu has said that his insistence the Supreme Court judgment for local government autonomy be respected nationwide, has nothing to do with being at war with state governors.
President Tinubu disclosed this during his address to state governors, led by Vice President Kashim Shettima, who paid him New Year homage.
Tinubu, while emphasizing on the critical role of state governors, in driving Nigeria’s development and prosperity, said their leadership at the subnational level is central to achieving food security, economic prosperity and rapid national growth.
His words: “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.
“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.
He further assured, “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”.
For Tinubu the governors have to prioritize agricultural growth as a pathway to economic stability, adding, “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.
“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,” 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.
The President while calling for stronger collaboration between the federal and state governments, urged them to address pressing challenges, including local government autonomy, agricultural productivity and currency stability.
He expressed his determination and commitment to local government development and autonomy, saying its importance for grassroots development is none negotiable, as a result there is no disagreement with the governors.
In July 2024, the Supreme Court delivered a landmark judgment affirming financial autonomy for the 774 local government areas in the country.
Even when many of the governors rushed to conduct local government elections in their respective states, their body language has shown that many are not comfortable with the move initiated by the federal government.
Earlier, chairman of the Nigeria Governors Forum and Governor of Kwara State, Abdulrahman Abdulrazak, 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.
