President Bola Tinubu on Friday urged media leaders in Nigeria to extend their scrutiny beyond the Federal Government and pay equal attention to how state and local governments manage public resources.

The President made the call while hosting media proprietors, executives and members of the Nigeria Guild of Editors at the Presidential Villa in Abuja.

Tinubu noted that reforms introduced by his administration have strengthened financial autonomy at the sub-national level, particularly for local governments. He said this shift makes it necessary for the media to closely monitor how funds allocated to these tiers of government are utilised.

“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 hands, so don’t bombard me alone. Look at local governments too, and equally, the sub-national,” he said.

The President also maintained that state governments across the country are no longer borrowing funds to meet salary obligations, attributing the situation to economic reforms undertaken by his administration.

“Yes, we can complain it’s not enough. 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,” Tinubu added.

Tinubu commended the Nigerian media for what he described as their persistent criticism, noting that it has helped push him to improve his performance in office despite the tough commentary he faced in the early stages of his presidency.

“Thank you for inspiring me and challenging me in critical moments of my life. You didn’t spare me, but you provoked the intellectual curiosity of a leader that must perform,” he said.

The President revealed that he keeps up with developments by reading newspapers daily, describing the habit as something of an addiction. He also admitted that the intense scrutiny from the media initially made him “a little stubborn” during the early days of his administration.

Speaking on major policy decisions, including the removal of the petrol subsidy in May 2023, Tinubu defended the move, saying decisive action was required at the time to prevent the country from sliding into economic crisis.

“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 on the edge of bankruptcy,” he said.

Tinubu further emphasised that criticism from the public and the media should not be viewed as hostility but as part of the democratic process and a contribution to national development.

“I accept the asset and liability of my policies because I asked for the job and it was given to me. So I have to do it,” Tinubu stated.

Addressing concerns raised by media organisations about operational challenges such as funding and tariffs, the President assured stakeholders that the government would look into the issues and take appropriate steps to support the industry.

He ended the meeting by stressing the need for collective responsibility in building the country, noting that progress depends on the combined efforts of leaders, the media and citizens.

“It is all in our hands. It’s a collective responsibility, you, myself, and those people that we assign,” he said.