Tinubu Urges Governors to Act: “Summon Them, Call Them Up!”
President Bola Ahmed Tinubu has called on Nigerians to hold state governors accountable for local development, urging a collective push to improve governance at the grassroots and address pressing national issues such as security, food production, and electricity.
Speaking passionately during a recent public engagement, the President emphasized the urgent need for a shift in values and a renewed commitment to the people living in local communities.
“Brothers and sisters. Yes, I have been charged here today. But you are running a constitutional democracy. And we have put to you to summon the governors. Call them up. I’m doing my best to improve the revenue of the country and giving them their dues. But they must equally be sympathetic to the populace and they must consider the needs of the local people,” Tinubu declared.
He stressed the importance of empowering local governments to deliver real impact where people live and work.
“People residing in the local government. People in the local community. That is where they reside. That is where they feed. That is where they garden. That is where they cook. That is where they farm. If the local government are not free and the leaders don’t hang on to the number, we have 7,774 local government. It’s just a number. Is it effective? Is it reaching the people? Who is being held accountable for this money?” he asked.
The President challenged leaders to “recalibrate” past governance models that may no longer work and emphasized the need to bridge the disconnect between political promises and delivery.
“When we want the votes, we go to the locals. When we get the votes, we move to Abuja. I think we have to collectively join hands. I need for you to get us a committee of people that can really embark on the campaign for our value to change,” he added.
On national security, Tinubu lamented the continued displacement of citizens and vowed to eliminate banditry.
“Our brothers and sisters, it is disheartening watching the TV and seeing the number of people in IDPs. No sincere leader in this country will be happy seeing that. We have to pull together to rescue Nigeria from banditry. Yes, we know we are making progress, but we want to eliminate that one completely,” he said.
He tied food security directly to national security and pointed to the underutilized potential of Nigeria’s livestock sector.
“For example, there is a big economy that has been a problem to Nigeria: the livestock and animal husbandry. Ordinary daily farm can grow an economy, not to talk of yogurt and many other things that can come from animals. Talk to the governors. Let them make lands available. Talk to others to collaborate with the states. The lands are in the hands of the state governors. They can make provision for it.”
President Tinubu assured that the federal government is ready to support animal rearing projects financially, citing international examples.
“We are ready to put funds in place to help the others rear their animals in a very, very good light way. We can do it and we are going to do it. Thank you. If Brazilians are doing it, if they are doing it in Holland and other places, we can do it.”
Turning to energy concerns, the President acknowledged challenges in gas development and electricity.
“Yes, I hear you about the gas plan. The cash flow is a problem. We are taking revolutionary steps to really improve our gas output. And that is why we separate gas from oil… What is happening to electricity generation, distribution and consumption? We have to do that in order to energize the economy.”
He concluded by recommending the establishment of a dedicated committee to follow up on the various challenges discussed and develop actionable solutions.
“To me, I would recommend putting the committee in place to really do some follow-up on these items listed. I will look into more details. If I continue itemizing it one by one, we might leave here until mid-break. I just don’t want to bore you. I have to recognize your thinking,” Tinubu said.
