President Bola Tinubu has urged Nigerian media organisations to broaden their scrutiny beyond the Federal Government to include state and local governments, arguing that sub-national authorities now enjoy greater financial autonomy under his administration’s reforms.

Tinubu made the call on Friday night while hosting media proprietors and senior executives at the Presidential Villa in Abuja during an Iftar to mark the end of the 2026 Ramadan season.

The President said reforms implemented by his administration had strengthened federalism and ensured that local governments receive their allocations directly.

“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 hand, so don’t bombard me alone.

“Look at local government too, and equally, the sub-national,” he said.

Tinubu also claimed that no state government in the country is currently borrowing funds to pay workers’ salaries, attributing the situation to fiscal and economic reforms undertaken by his administration.

“Today, there is no state that is borrowing to pay salaries of employees. Yes, we can complain it’s not enough.

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“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,” the President said.

For years, several state governments struggled to meet wage obligations, often relying on bailouts and loans from the Federal Government during periods of declining oil revenues and economic downturns.

According to the administration, increased allocations to states and local governments have been driven by higher crude oil production, improved tax collection by the Federal Inland Revenue Service, now renamed the National Revenue Service, as well as direct payment of local government allocations following a July 2024 ruling by the Supreme Court of Nigeria granting fiscal autonomy to local governments.

The President also defended key policy decisions taken since assuming office in May 2023, particularly the removal of petrol subsidy, which triggered widespread criticism.

“The problem is leadership with responsibility of taking decisions at the time it was to be done. Otherwise, it’s a failure. At the time, we had to confront the subsidy. Nigeria was cheating on the edge of bankruptcy.

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“But having asked for the job and getting it, I couldn’t look back other than make corrections as I move along, save the nation, bring it back from the brink,” he said.

Tinubu insisted that Nigeria had been pulled back from the verge of economic collapse, citing improvements in foreign exchange management and efforts to control inflation.

“Today, I can stand proudly before you that we are back from that brink. Can you imagine a nation that only the airline for reimbursement of their tickets had galloping exchange rates, galloping inflation?” he asked.

The President also acknowledged the intense criticism his administration faced during its early days, admitting that he initially reacted strongly to the barrage of commentary from newspapers and opinion leaders.

“I was just initially at the beginning of this administration a little stubborn because the hit was on from the papers and from various opinion leaders in this country,” he said.

However, Tinubu said he does not consider critics as enemies but rather as contributors to national development.

“I don’t categorise anybody as arch-critical. I see them as simulators who can build a nation.

“We all want good for this country. There is no doubt about that. So, no matter how critical an opinion is or on the edge of it, they want the goodness of the country.”

He also thanked media proprietors for challenging his administration through criticism.

“Thank you for inspiring me and challenging me in critical moments of my life.

“If I look at various barrages of negative comments as opposed to positive aspects of the assignment, I shouldn’t be here standing. That is the truth.

“You didn’t spare me, but you challenged me, provoked that intellectual curiosity of a leader that must perform.”