Cover States, LGs, Not Just Me, Tinubu Tells Press

President Bola Ahmed Tinubu on Friday urged the Nigerian media to broaden its focus beyond the Federal Government and intensify scrutiny of state and local governments, stressing that strengthening Nigeria’s federal system requires accountability at all tiers of governance.

The President made the call while hosting leaders of the Newspaper Proprietors’ Association of Nigeria (NPAN), the Nigerian Guild of Editors (NGE), and the Broadcasting Organisations of Nigeria (BON) at an interfaith breaking of the Ramadan and Lenten fast at the Presidential Villa,Abuja.

Tinubu said recent reforms that guarantee direct funding for local governments have opened a new chapter for grassroots development, adding that the media must play a central role in ensuring transparency in how those resources are 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,” the President said.

He noted that state governments are also benefiting from improved fiscal space and therefore must be subjected to greater public scrutiny.

“Equally the sub-nationals are enjoying the freedom. Today, there is no state that is borrowing to pay salaries of employees,” he added.

Tinubu stressed that national development cannot be driven solely from the centre, insisting that governance and progress require the collective responsibility of institutions and citizens across the federation.

According to him, the media remains a crucial partner in nation-building and democratic accountability.

“We can complain 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 — you, myself and those people that we assign,” the President said.

Tinubu also acknowledged the difficult operating environment facing media organisations but commended journalists and publishers for their commitment to informing and educating the public.

“There is no morning that I leave my house without going through the papers,” he said, describing newspaper reading as an “addiction” that helps him stay informed about developments across the country.

The President used the occasion to reflect on some of the administration’s economic reforms, including the removal of fuel subsidy, noting that the decisions were taken to prevent Nigeria from sliding into a deeper fiscal crisis.

“At the time we had to confront the subsidy, Nigeria was tilting on the edge of bankruptcy. Leadership comes with the responsibility of taking decisions when they ought to be taken; otherwise it is a failure,” Tinubu said.

He added that despite the initial hardships that followed the reforms, the country is gradually stabilising economically.

“Today I can stand proudly before you that we are back from that brink,” he said, recalling a period when Nigeria faced rising inflation, exchange rate instability and mounting debts to international airlines.

Tinubu also addressed growing concerns about the influence of global technology companies on the Nigerian media industry, assuring media leaders that the Federal Government would support efforts aimed at protecting the country’s media ecosystem.

He referenced local initiatives such as Lekeelekee, a digital media platform being supported by media entrepreneur Nduka Obaigbena, as examples of innovation deserving encouragement.

Earlier, the Minister of Information and National Orientation, Mohammed Idris, said the Federal Government had already begun engagement with major technology companies such as Meta and Google over their impact on Nigeria’s media industry.

“All the regulatory agencies are already engaging the big tech, Meta and Google. The President will not allow anybody to come here, reap from our economy and go away,” Idris said.

He also assured media leaders of the administration’s commitment to press freedom, noting that the President has never directed him to take actions against the media.

“At no time has the President ever called me to say go and do this or go and do that to the press. He is himself a product of press freedom,” the minister said.

Speaking on behalf of the media industry, co-founder and publisher of BusinessDay, Frank Aigbogun, thanked the President for hosting the gathering and reiterated the media’s commitment to national development.

He, however, raised concerns about the rising operational costs confronting media organisations and the growing threat posed by global technology platforms and artificial intelligence to traditional media business models.

Aigbogun appealed for government intervention to ease tariffs on newsprint, ink and other materials critical to the operations of media organisations.

He also urged the government to support ongoing discussions aimed at ensuring fair compensation frameworks between Nigerian media organisations and global technology platforms.