President Bola Tinubu has congratulated governors elected on the platform of the All Progressives Congress, urging them to work for the good of all Nigerians.
He implored them to implement policies that prioritise all Nigerians and to always consider national interest above political affiliations.
Tinubu made this known in a statement signed by his Special Adviser on Media and Publicity, Ajuri Ngelale, and shared on his Facebook page on Friday.
He noted that the entire financial system of the country would be re-engineered for inclusivity, effectiveness, and efficiency.
He also asked the governors to come up with a framework that would make the implementation of the school-feeding programme more comprehensive and successful across all states of the federation, taking into consideration the peculiarities of each locality, but working towards having all children in school.
The President, who received members of the Progressive Governors Forum at the State House in Abuja, on Friday, said government policies would only find full relevance in people’s lives when there is inclusivity, ownership, and sustainability.
According to the statement, Tinubu told the governors that one of the biggest challenges the nation faces was divisiveness, but that the governing party must work towards healing and unifying the country by ensuring a collective national vision, and channelling energy and resources into nation-building.
“You can convert people. You can appeal to people to come to your side,’’ he said.
The statement read, “President Bola Tinubu has implored governors elected on the platform of the All Progressives Congress to design and implement policies that prioritise all Nigerians and to always consider the national interest above political affiliations.
“The President said Nigeria is too blessed with human, natural, and material resources to be struggling with a dearth of quality infrastructure, quality education, and world-class health facilities.
“We have no reason to be poor. Looking back on where we are coming from, where we have been, why we are facing infrastructural decay, a lack of quality and comprehensive education, as well as a lack of health facilities. We are not a cursed country, but blessed.
“We have children of school age who are out of school. The way to promote education is to get all governors, including the opposition governors, involved in the school-feeding programme. Please, take it seriously.
“We should not measure the children as statistics. We should measure their return to classrooms as our achievement. We should see economic growth in terms of value and empowerment. We should set up a committee to look into the methods. I am ready to invest in school feeding.
“The school-feeding programme would encourage more investments in agriculture, particularly in livestock farming and dairy, adding that the former Kano State Governor and APC “Chairman, Dr. Abdullahi Ganduje, had already worked on a proposal that would be shared for input and implementation.”
