President Bola Tinubu on Thursday, said State Governors were not doing enough to strengthen development at the grassroots and urged traditional rulers to hold Governors accountable.
The President who made these remarks, when he met with the leadership of Arewa Consultative Forum (ACF) at the Presidential Villa, Abuja, said State governments must prioritise the needs of local communities by ensuring accountability and effectiveness in the administration of local governments.
President Tinubu, who expressed disappointments with the ways states resources are deployed, met with the Arewa Leaders against the backdrop of growing insecurity, high rate of out-of-school children, as well as economic challenges, especially at the local government levels.
According to the President, We are running a Constitutional democracy. I will appeal to you to summon the governors. I am doing my very best to enhance the revenue base of the country. They must equally be sympathetic, and they must urgently consider the needs of the local people.
People reside in the local communities. That is where they work, farm, and live. If the local governments are not effective in delivering services; as leaders, we must not hang on to the numbers. We have 774 local government areas, but are they truly effective? Do they solve problems for Nigerians? Do they coordinate development programming with the state and federal governments?
Who is being held accountable for the performance of the 774 local governments? Maybe we should look at recalibrating. What was good four years ago may not be good today. When we want the votes, we go to the locals; when we get the votes, we move to and focus on Abuja, President Tinubu stressed.
