President Bola Tinubu has urged media executives to scrutinise state governments and local councils with the same intensity directed at the federal government, noting that sub-national authorities now enjoy greater financial autonomy.

The president made the remark on Friday night while hosting media proprietors and executives at the Aso Rock Presidential Villa in Abuja.

“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,” Tinubu said.

He also claimed that financial conditions in the states have improved, stating that no state in Nigeria is currently borrowing money to pay workers’ salaries.

“Today, there is no state that is borrowing to pay salaries of employees. 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,” he said.

Tinubu attributed the situation to reforms carried out by his administration, including increased allocations to states and local governments through higher crude oil production, improved tax collection by the Federal Inland Revenue Service—now renamed the National Revenue Service—and the direct payment of local government allocations following a July 2024 ruling by the Supreme Court of Nigeria granting fiscal autonomy to local councils.

The president thanked media owners for their criticism, saying it challenged him to perform better despite harsh commentary at the start of his administration.

“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,” Tinubu stated.

He revealed that reading newspapers every morning has become “an addiction,” noting that he reviews headlines daily before leaving his residence.

“There is no morning that I ever leave my house without going through the newspapers. It’s an addiction. I read all of you, might not be in full detail, but the headline, the one that hit me,” he said.

Tinubu also defended the removal of petrol subsidy in May 2023, describing it as a necessary step to prevent economic collapse.

“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,” the president said.

According to him, the country has since recovered from the brink of economic crisis through improvements in foreign exchange management and inflation control.

“Today, I can stand proudly before you that we are back from that brink,” Tinubu added.

He also acknowledged the difficult operating environment facing media organisations, particularly in sourcing funds during tough economic conditions.

“I know you are challenged. It’s very tough out there. Source and application of funds is almost impossible to acquire in a time of challenges,” he said.

The meeting formed part of an Iftar gathering during the Ramadan season and was attended by media executives from across print, broadcast and digital platforms.