Tinubu Charges 774 LG Chairmen To Deliver Development, Prevent 2027 Violence

President Bola Ahmed Tinubu has charged chairmen of Nigeria’s 774 local government areas to translate the federal government’s Renewed Hope Agenda into tangible development at the grassroots, warning that the autonomy granted local governments carries a corresponding responsibility to deliver measurable results.

Tinubu, who spoke through the Secretary to the Government of the Federation, Senator George Akume, at the maiden Annual National Conference of the 774 Local Government Council Chairmen in Abuja, said the success of government policies should be measured by the changes they bring to villages, towns and communities rather than by announcements made in Abuja.

He said the federal government’s efforts to strengthen local government autonomy were aimed at bringing governance closer to Nigerians, stressing that local governments must become centres of planning, service delivery, early warning and measurable development outcomes.

The President specifically tasked the council chairmen to ensure improvements in primary healthcare, basic education, roads, potable water, food security, support for small businesses and opportunities for women and young people.

According to him, the Supreme Court’s July 2024 judgment affirming local government financial autonomy placed a huge responsibility on chairmen, councillors and council management to demonstrate the benefits of grassroots governance through effective service delivery.

Tinubu also directed the council chairmen to intensify collaboration with traditional rulers, religious leaders, youth and women groups, community associations and lawful security agencies to identify and resolve grievances before they escalate into crises.

With Nigeria heading towards the 2027 general elections, the President urged the local government leaders to help create an atmosphere where citizens can exercise their democratic rights freely, warning against thuggery, intimidation, hate speech and electoral violence.

He said local leaders had a direct responsibility to douse tensions and protect the rights of citizens to make their political choices without fear, while urging them to ensure that young Nigerians were not recruited into violence or exposed to substance abuse.

Tinubu said local governments could no longer remain passive recipients of federal interventions, but must actively participate in planning, coordination, implementation and accountability. He urged the chairmen to embrace evidence-based decision-making, technology and reliable data in managing their councils.

Earlier, the Minister of Special Duties and Intergovernmental Affairs, Bitrus Zafania, said the conference was designed to strengthen collaboration among the Federal Government, states, local governments and traditional institutions in taking the Renewed Hope Agenda to the grassroots.

Zafania said traditional rulers remained critical partners in peacebuilding, community mobilisation and development because of their close connection with communities, adding that empowering local governments and traditional institutions was essential to addressing instability and other challenges confronting the country.

Also speaking on behalf of traditional rulers, the Orodje of Okpe Kingdom, Major General Felix Mujakperuo (rtd), said traditional rulers and local government chairmen were strategically positioned to identify developments and challenges at the grassroots before they came to the attention of governments at higher levels.

Mujakperuo said the conference was timely because a significant proportion of Nigerians interacted more directly with traditional institutions and local governments than with state or federal authorities, urging participants to ensure that government policies and programmes effectively reached communities.