President Bola Tinubu has assured Nigerians that the welfare of the masses remains a top priority for his administration.
He disclosed that he reads about happenings in the country every morning before leaving home.
Tinubu stated this during an interfaith breaking of fast with senior journalists and media executives at the Presidential Villa in Abuja.
He said that he was a little bit stubborn at the beginning of his administration.
The president also stated that his administration has opened up on the principles of true federalism to the extent that local governments now get direct allocation from the Federal Government.
He said, “There’s no morning that I ever leave my house without going through the newspapers. It’s an addiction. I read all of you.
“It might not be in full detail, but headline, the one that would hit me and the ones that won’t.
“At the beginning of this administration, I was just a little bit stubborn, looking at opportunities to correct things and make life more easier for the downtrodden.”
Meanwhile, Tinubu has stated that improving Nigeria is a collective responsibility.
He asserted that the country’s development cannot be the sole responsibility of the federal government and urged the media to hold states and local governments accountable.
The President stated this on Friday when he hosted media executives and proprietors at the Aso Rock Presidential Villa in Abuja.
Tinubu cited increased financial autonomy for the lower tiers of government and urged the media to extend the same level of scrutiny they apply to his government to the local and state administrations.
“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,” Tinubu said.
“So don’t bombard me alone; look at the local government too. Yes, we can complain it’s 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.
“Today, there is no state that is borrowing to pay the salaries of employees,” he told the gathering.
“Yes, we can complain that it’s 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,” he added.
The ex-Lagos State governor reiterated his commitment to doing the job with dedication.
“And I promise you, the job that I continue to do is dedication, patriotic dedication to improve Nigeria. It’s all in our hands; it’s a collective responsibility,” he said.
