President Bola Ahmed Tinubu has called on Nigerian governors to focus on improving the lives of people in rural communities through investments in rural electrification, agricultural mechanisation, poverty reduction, and infrastructure.
Speaking at the 150th National Economic Council (NEC) meeting on Thursday in Abuja, Tinubu said:
“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 stressed collaboration between federal and state governments to address food insecurity, school enrolment, and development at the local level.
“We have to embrace mechanisation in agriculture, fight insecurity, and improve school enrolment through school feeding,” he said.
The meeting followed a presentation by the Minister of Budget and Economic Planning, Senator Abubakar Bagudu, on the Renewed Hope Ward Development Programme (RHWDP)—a ward-level initiative aimed at stimulating growth in Nigeria’s 8,809 administrative wards.
A statement by Stanley Nkwocha, Senior Special Assistant to the President on Media & Communications (Office of the Vice President), said NEC endorsed the programme as a collaborative effort involving all tiers of government.
The RHWDP targets 15% growth by directly investing in communities and supporting 1,000 to 2,000 economically active individuals per ward. It draws its legal basis from the 1999 Constitution and the Fifth Alteration Act.
A National Steering Committee with members from all six geopolitical zones will oversee the programme. The Ministry of Budget and Economic Planning will serve as the secretariat.
Tinubu also directed NEC to form a committee to fast-track major infrastructure projects, including the Lagos-Calabar and Sokoto-Badagry highways. He announced that the Office of the Surveyor-General of the Federation will now report directly to the presidency to ease execution.
NEC further resolved to strengthen State Emergency Management Agencies across all 36 states. This decision followed a presentation by NEMA Director General Zubaida Umar, who warned of imminent floods. The council instructed the Federal Ministry of Finance to release emergency funds for the intervention.
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