President Bola Tinubu has assured Nigerians that his government is committed to providing good governance to end the economic woes of the country, placing it on the path of prosperity.
He said the past 12 months have been fulfilling for his administration despite the presence of some challenges that are being addressed frontally.
Speaking when he received a delegation of the Yoruba Leaders of Thought at the State House on Friday, Tinubu emphasized that governance must be transformative capable enough to meet the needs of citizens.
“It has been challenging. It has been fulfilling as well. We took over, and we have stopped the bleeding. I can say categorically now that Nigeria is no longer bleeding.
“And it will not bleed to death, but rather will now move to prosperity. That is the promise that I made to you all, and it is also the charge that you gave to me.
“We are managing to swim through the pond. The current is not a good one. We will turn the tide. We are turning the bend. This I assure you. I am being very careful. The worst is over for Nigeria. We will prevail,” Tinubu said.
The president also assured Nigerians that his government will ensure they get value for their money, leaving a lasting legacy of prosperity to future generations.
Tinubu added that his government will remove the yoke of poor governance while expanding access to qualitative public goods.
He also called for the deepening of governance and the reinforcement of leadership across all levels of government and institutions, adding that his administration is committed to encouraging fiscal federalism and strengthening the system to enhance inclusion and equity for all Nigerians.
“Healthcare upgradation is ongoing. Road rehabilitation and construction is ongoing. Education development is ongoing. I am charging you to look at what is going on in the states.
“Pay attention to your state governors. Tell them to take their responsibilities seriously and make the people the focus of their development plans. Once there is synergy, then I can assure you that Nigeria will be one of the best nations that you will see anywhere on earth,” Tinubu said.
“Local government administration is being suffocated. People are looking at the opportunity to ensure that they survive and become more purposeful through community development programmes. What I will not support is any effort to make the local government a unitary system by handing all core responsibilities to the federal government. That is criminal when there is a federal system.
“We have a federal system. There is state and federal administration. We have two components. States must do whatever is in the best interest of their own process of administration. There is no one-size-fits-all. That is what we should do by looking at the revenue formula, and we must be consistent with federalism; fiscal federalism. Those are the things you should expect from me, not the knee-jerk reactions ahead of elections.
“Our population is growing. It is getting larger. The geographical requirement is getting bigger, so we still want more space for housing. The population is growing. So that is the basis for flexibility at the local government level. We must grow and expand,” Tinubu said.
