Tinubu to Governors: End the talk, deliver results for Nigerians
President Bola Ahmed Tinubu has challenged governors and key federal institutions to shift from resolutions to real-life outcomes, insisting that the National Economic Council (NEC) Conference must not end as
- ...says Renewed Hope reforms must translate to jobs, roads, schools, better healthcare
- ... NEC expands anti-oil theft mandate, pushes states to pass harmonised tax law
President Bola Ahmed Tinubu has challenged governors and key federal institutions to shift from resolutions to real-life outcomes, insisting that the National Economic Council (NEC) Conference must not end as another high-level conversation with no measurable impact on citizens.
The President, represented by Senate President Godswill Akpabio at the closing of the two-day conference on Tuesday in Abuja, said the Renewed Hope Agenda would be judged by what Nigerians can see and feel; jobs created, businesses supported, roads built, schools strengthened, healthcare improved and opportunities widened.
“Reform is not an event. It is a process. It requires courage, patience and consistency.
“The decisions we make here must translate into visible improvements in the daily lives of all Nigerians; in jobs created, businesses supported, roads constructed, schools strengthened, healthcare improved and opportunities expanded,” Tinubu told participants at the State House Conference Centre.
He commended Vice President Kashim Shettima for what he described as steady leadership of the NEC and acknowledged governors, ministers, development partners and private sector stakeholders for their input, stressing that the next phase of national development depends on disciplined implementation across all tiers of government.
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“The Renewed Hope Agenda is not a slogan. It is a national commitment, and that commitment demands that we move beyond dialogue to delivery.
“I leave this conference reassured that we are aligned in purpose and united in responsibility. Together, we will build a more resilient economy, a more inclusive society and a stronger Federation,” said Tinubu.
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The conference, held under the theme, “Delivering Inclusive Growth and Sustainable National Development: The Renewed Hope National Development Plan,” produced policy recommendations spanning taxation, oil theft, security, social spending, investment, and constitutional reforms.
Reading the communiqué, Permanent Secretary of the Federal Ministry of Budget and Economic Planning, Dr. Deborah Odoh, said the conference agreed that the mandate of the NEC committee on crude oil theft should not only be sustained but expanded, in response to the scale of losses and the wider implications for national revenue and development.
The communiqué also called on the Federal Government and states to deepen partnerships with the private sector, civil society and development partners to drive inclusive and sustainable national development.
On tax reforms, the conference commended 12 states that have already passed the harmonised tax law, urged 13 states with pending bills at their Houses of Assembly to fast-track passage, and asked the remaining 11 states to begin the process.
“States should enact the harmonised tax law to address multiple taxation and complement the new tax reform laws,” the communiqué stated.
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The conference raised concern over what it described as Nigeria’s persistent underinvestment in education and health, urging state governments to increase per capita spending in both sectors, as well as in youth employment.
“There is an urgent need to ramp up investment in the social sectors, education, health, including nutrition,” Odoh read.
On security, the communiqué stressed that military operations alone would not solve the country’s challenges, recommending non-kinetic measures such as addressing unemployment and poverty, while also calling for stronger inter-agency coordination and greater state alignment with the national security framework.
Other resolutions included expanding concessional financing for productive sectors, securing production corridors, strengthening federal-state coordination for domestic production, optimising investment in oil and gas while diversifying into non-oil sectors, and expediting constitutional amendments to resolve inconsistencies in fiscal federalism implementation.
Speaking to State House Correspondents after the event, Lagos State Governor Babajide Sanwo-Olu said the conference outcomes should not remain within government circles but must be extended to the organised private sector and the National Assembly.
“I’ve picked a whole lot personally,” he said, adding that the retreat created room for states to share experiences and understand one another’s challenges.
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Sanwo-Olu urged his colleagues to implement the resolutions, stressing that Nigerians would only benefit when the decisions are executed.
Ogun State Governor Dapo Abiodun described Tinubu’s macroeconomic reforms as a major confidence booster for investors, citing what he called improved stability in the foreign exchange market.
“You can build all the roads you want, if investors do not have confidence that if they come into Nigeria and invest their money, they will be able to take it out at a determined exchange rate, they will not come,” Abiodun said.
He also praised the administration’s infrastructure push, singling out the Lagos-Calabar coastal highway and the Sokoto-Badagry road as projects capable of unlocking large-scale economic activity.
The two-day conference, convened by the Minister of Budget and Economic Planning, Senator Abubakar Atiku Bagudu, attracted over 350 delegates, including governors, deputy governors, ministers, the Inspector-General of Police, members of the National Assembly, and representatives of international development partners and private sector organisations.
Odoh said the gathering provided a platform for aligning subnational governments with the Tinubu administration’s strategic vision as contained in the Renewed Hope National Development Plan 2026–2030.
