President Bola Tinubu has urged state and local government officials to ensure that the rising funds now available to them translate into real development at the grassroots level.
Speaking yesterday at an interfaith breaking of fast at the State House, Abuja, with leaders of the Newspaper Proprietors’ Association of Nigeria (NPAN), the Nigerian Guild of Editors (NGE), and the Broadcasting Organisations of Nigeria (BON), Tinubu emphasised that government officials must be held accountable for how these resources are deployed.
The President emphasized that direct support to subnational governments has increased as a result of recent economic reforms, creating a hitherto unheard-of potential for local development. In order to ensure that projects and programs have a beneficial impact on local communities, he urged the media to play a crucial role in keeping an eye on how these funds are being used.
“We’ve opened up the principle of federalism to the extent that local governments are now getting their money. But how they use it is in your hands. Don’t bombard me alone; look out to the local government too,” Tinubu said.
“Equally, the sub-nationals are enjoying the freedom. Today, no state is borrowing to pay the salaries of employees.”
The President encouraged journalists to deepen reporting on state and local governments’ activities to enhance transparency and accountability. He stressed that governance and national progress require collective responsibility from leaders, institutions, and citizens alike.
Acknowledging the media’s vital role, Tinubu said: “We can complain that it is not enough. We can complain we are not where we should be, but we have to manage what we have to sustain today, survive tomorrow and make progress. It is a collective responsibility for you, me, and those people that we assign.”
He also reflected on earlier economic reforms, including the removal of fuel subsidy, noting that difficult decisions were necessary to prevent Nigeria from slipping into economic collapse.
On tariffs affecting newspapers and broadcast equipment, Tinubu assured media stakeholders of the government’s commitment to intervene where needed to protect the industry and journalists’ livelihoods.
Minister of Information and National Orientation, Mohammed Idris, confirmed that the administration is already engaging global tech companies, including Meta and Google, to address their impact on Nigeria’s media ecosystem, reiterating the government’s commitment to press freedom.
Olusegun Osoba, the grand patron of NPAN, and publishers, such as Frank Aigbogun, praised Tinubu for his reforms, especially the creation of the Nigeria Revenue Service and the National Single Window policy, which they claimed would increase revenue and allow subnational governments to provide citizens with real benefits.
