Tinubu has strengthened Nigeria’s federalism, says Bagudu

The Minister of Budget and Economic Planning, Senator Abubakar Bagudu, has praised President Bola Tinubu for strengthening the nation’s federal system.
He said the President’s economic reforms had increased funds for the sub-national governments to provide more amenities for their constituents.
“President Tinubu has strengthened our federalism,” the minister told participants at the National Economic Council, NEC, conference, which concluded in Abuja yesterday, emphasising that Nigeria was now a more united federation due to the bold decisions the president made,” he said.
He highlighted Tinubu’s support for NEC, which consists of the 36 state governors and the Federal Capital Territory Minister, emphasising that it had fostered greater cooperation among the federal, state and local governments.
Bagudu stated that Tinubu’s passionate interest in the council, which is his economic advisory body, demonstrated his abiding faith in cooperative federalism, noting that his bipartisan approach to state affairs had softened the divisions that caused friction between federal and subnational governments.
He illustrated the president’s approach, “In the NEC, state governors have been given opportunities to contribute to most of the reform measures, and commendably, most of them, regardless of party, believed the president was pursuing what the country needed and fully support the federal government.
Highlighting the concrete gains of the economic reforms, Bagudu stated that the fiscal condition of states and local governments had improved, explaining that the federal government bore the burden of the reforms.
The minister drew the audience’s attention to the president’s prioritisation of the interests of lower levels of government, stating it demonstrated his belief that true federalism laid in recognising the potentials of the lowest level of government, which is closest to the people, and in supporting the sustainable generation of value within it.
Bagudu explained that this is the reason Tinubu approved the Renewed Hope Ward-based development programme, which aims to identify economic activities in the 8,809 wards of the federation and support their growth.
Bagudu said: “Just last week, a visiting World Bank delegation, led by the Managing Director, Operations, told the world that Nigeria’s reforms have become a global benchmark.
The NEC conference, with the theme ‘’Delivering Inclusive Growth and Sustainable Development: The Renewed Hope National Development Plan 2026-2030’’, is the second in 10 years and was chaired by Vice-President Kashim Shettima, who is also the chairman of NEC.

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