Tinubu asks governors to prioritize grassroots welfare

President Bola Ahmed Tinubu has called on state governors to intensify their efforts to improve the lives of citizens, emphasizing the need to focus on grassroots welfare like rural development, agricultural mechanization, and poverty eradication.

The President’s appeal was made during the 150th meeting of the National Economic Council (NEC) at the State House in Abuja, where he urged for greater collaboration between the federal and state governments.

“I want to appeal to you, let us change the story of our people in the rural areas,” President Tinubu said.

“The economy is working. We are on the path of recovery, but we need to stimulate growth in the rural areas.” He also directed the NEC to form a committee to enhance the execution of major legacy projects, including the Lagos-Calabar and Sokoto-Badagry Super Highways, and ordered the transfer of the Office of the Surveyor-General of the Federation to the Presidency to streamline their implementation.

A key outcome of the NEC meeting was the endorsement of the new Renewed Hope Ward Development Programme (RHWDP).

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Presented by the Minister of Budget and Economic Planning, Senator Abubakar Bagudu, the RHWDP is a collaborative initiative between the federal, state, and local governments aimed at achieving double-digit economic growth.

The program will target Nigeria’s 8,809 administrative wards with direct interventions to support economic activities, with a goal of engaging a minimum of 1,000 to 2,000 economically active individuals per ward.

In addition to the economic initiatives, the NEC addressed the nation’s flood preparedness.

Following a presentation by the Director-General of the National Emergency Management Agency (NEMA), Mrs. Zubaida Umar, the council directed the Federal Ministry of Finance to release emergency funds to all states and relevant federal agencies.

The council also mandated the strengthening of State Emergency Management Agencies (SEMAs) across the country.

NEMA’s presentation highlighted the progress of its 2025 flood preparedness initiatives, including the development of a National Disaster Risk Reduction Strategy and improved coordination with military and other security agencies.

However, the agency also identified persistent challenges such as weak drainage infrastructure, poor data reporting from states, and limited functionality of SEMAs.

NEMA urged state governments to enforce grassroots laws like urban planning laws, prioritize disaster preparedness funding, and institutionalize monthly environmental sanitation to mitigate flood risks.

Local communities were also tasked with taking ownership of local risk mitigation and reporting early signs of flood risks to authorities.