President Bola Tinubu on Monday urged the nation’s local government chairmen to apply principles of fairness and inclusiveness in appointments, administration and the distribution of resources.
The President described such practice as essential to national stability and economic progress.
Secretary to the Government of the Federation George Akume stated this while delivering an address on behalf of the President at a workshop convened by the Federal Character Commission for local government officials.
Yomi Odunuga, Special Adbiser on Media and Publicity to the SGF in a statement said the event, titled “Translating Federal Character Principles into Local Governance: Bridging Policy and Practice,” aimed to strengthen implementation of constitutional diversity safeguards at the grassroots.
“Our multiplicity of cultures, ethnicities and beliefs forms a vibrant national tapestry that must be carefully managed through fairness, justice and inclusiveness,” Tinubu said.
The President who cited Section 14(4) of the 1999 Constitution, said it provides a legal and moral foundation for reflecting Nigeria’s diversity across government posts.
Local governments, Tinubu noted, occupy a strategic position in the country’s governance architecture as the tier closest to citizens.
Decisions at that level, he said, have immediate effects on daily life and therefore require “transparency in administration” and balance in allocating opportunities and resources.
President Tinubu tied inclusive local governance to broader objectives: boosting public confidence in state institutions, reinforcing national unity and creating a social environment conducive to investment and innovation.
He cautioned that laws and institutions alone were insufficient without “visionary leadership, ethical conduct and deliberate commitment.”
The President lauded the Federal Character Commission for highlighting the role of local councils in fulfilling federal diversity principles and urged participants to view the workshop as more than an administrative exercise—rather an opportunity to devise practical methods for embedding equitable practice in local administration.
Tinubu therefore appealed to the chairmen to place national interest above sectional pressures, arguing that stronger, fairer local institutions are fundamental to the future of Nigeria’s democracy.
