President Bola Ahmed Tinubu has charged state governors to prioritize the welfare of Nigerians.
He tasked them to invest more in the future of Nigerians, by putting more money in rural electrification, agricultural mechanization, poverty eradication and infrastructure.
President Tinubu was addressing a meeting of the National Economic Council (NEC) during which the council endorsed a new ward-based development strategy, Renewed Hope Ward Development Programme (RHWDP).
A release by Stanley Nkwocha, Senior Special Assistant to The President on Media & Communications, (Office of The Vice President), says RHWDP is targeted at actualizing double-digit economic growth through direct intervention in Nigeria’s 8,809 administrative wards across all 36 states.
The President’s charge to the governors followed a presentation on the RHWDP by the Minister of Budget and Economic Planning, Sen. Abubakar Bagudu.
He implored the governors to do more to positively impact the lives of Nigerians in the grassroots.
“I want to appeal to you; let us change the story of our people in the rural areas.
“The economy is working. We are on the path of recovery, but we need to stimulate growth in the rural areas.
“We know the situation in the rural areas, let us collaborate and do what will benefit the people,” he added.
FG-States synergy
President Tinubu urged state governors to collaborate with the Federal Government to drive economic development in rural areas across the country.
“We have to embrace mechanisation in agriculture, fight insecurity, and improve school enrolment through school feeding,” the President said.
He directed NEC to set up a committee to enhance the actualization of legacy projects, especially the Lagos-Calabar and the Sokoto-Badagry Super Highways.
The President also ordered the transfer of the Office of the Surveyor-General of the Federation to the presidency.
NEC endorsed the new ward-based development strategy, RHWDP, aimed at achieving double-digit economic growth through direct intervention in Nigeria’s 8,809 administrative wards across all 36 states.
RHWDP received full endorsement as a collaborative undertaking between federal, state and local governments.
It is anchored on President Tinubu’s Renewed Hope Agenda, which seeks to achieve a $1 trillion economy by 2030, requiring a growth rate of 15%, while the current rate sits below 4%.
RHWDP’s Legal Framework
The RHWDP draws its legal framework from the 1999 Constitution and the Fifth Alteration Act, which mandates state policy toward ensuring food security and improved production methods.
Its key targets include sustainable support for economic activities with minimum thresholds of 1,000 economically active individuals for smaller wards and 2,000 for larger ones.
A National Steering Committee comprising representatives from all six geopolitical zones will oversee implementation, with the Ministry of Budget and Economic Planning as secretariat.
Council also directed the strengthening of State Emergency Management Agencies (SEMAs) across all 36 states of the federation and asked the Federal Ministry of Finance to release emergency funds to address impending flood effects.
The council’s resolution came following a presentation by Mrs. Zubaida Umar, Director General of the National Emergency Management Agency.
