By Emmanuel Oloniruha

The Association of Local Government Vice Chairmen of Nigeria (ALGOVC) has endorsed President Bola Tinubu for re-election in the 2027 general elections, pledging grassroots support for his return.

The endorsement was announced at ALGOVC’s 2026 Annual National Conference in Abuja on Thursday, themed “Strengthening Local Government Control for Effective National Security and Economic Growth.”

The motion was moved by ALGOVC Chairman in Abuja, Mr Yusuf Mohammed, seconded by the association’s National Chairman, Mrs Uju Okolo, and unanimously adopted by members.

Speaking at the conference, Minister of Budget and Economic Planning, Sen. Abubakar Bagudu, commended the association’s endorsement, describing it as recognition of the administration’s grassroots development efforts.

“Tinubu has been taking the bullet so that the federation can survive.

Today, local governments are more prosperous than they were four years ago in terms of monthly allocations and state support,” Bagudu said.

Bagudu, who declared the conference open, urged local government vice chairmen to collaborate with the Presidency and identify opportunities capable of stimulating economic activities across communities.

“Let us identify the opportunities in each ward across this country, so we can bring local government and society together to support prosperity in every ward, ensuring economic activity, employment, and incomes rise,” he added.

Earlier, Bagudu urged local government councils to move beyond sharing monthly statutory allocations and adopt data-driven, bottom-up planning to promote sustainable grassroots economic growth across communities.

He said the 1999 Constitution, as amended, mandated all government tiers and institutions to collaborate towards achieving Nigeria’s economic, food security, healthcare and educational objectives.

Citing Sections 13 and 130 of the Constitution, Bagudu said Tinubu’s responsibilities required direct engagement with grassroots institutions, beginning with ward councillors, whom he described as Nigeria’s power structure foundation.

“Local government is not just a centre to disburse money coming from the federation.

That is a big error we have made in the past.

It is a centre that should draw attention to the blessings, prosperity, opportunities, and potentials within that local government,” Bagudu said.

The minister highlighted the Renewed Ward Development Plan, recently endorsed by the National Economic Council (NEC), which sought to document economic activities, resources and challenges across Nigerian wards.

He said aggregating ward-level data would enable council leaders to approach investors, state governments and federal authorities with concrete information to attract investments and development support.

Bagudu said approximately 80 per cent of Nigeria’s wards depended on agriculture, livestock or fishing, involving about 40 million households and more than 120 million citizens.

He, however, expressed concern over low agricultural yields, attributing the situation to outdated farming practices, dependence on rainfall and inadequate access to improved seedlings.

Recalling a visit to five local government areas under a World Bank-supported agricultural programme, Bagudu said female cassava farmers recorded significantly lower yields than counterparts in Kenya.

He attributed the disparity partly to inadequate access to improved seedlings, emphasising that agricultural modernisation could significantly improve productivity, incomes and economic opportunities across rural communities.

Bagudu said modernising agriculture, aquaculture and livestock management at ward level would increase rural prosperity and address resource-related conflicts involving farmers, herders and fishermen.

“Some local governments in Nigeria can even compete with other countries if appropriately supported,” the minister added.

He urged vice chairmen to take ownership of the ward-mapping initiative and identify specific interventions required from the Federal Government and development partners.

“In almost every local government or ward in Nigeria, there is an economic activity that, if appropriately supported, can generate immense prosperity.

“If we use that knowledge to support each ward based on what God has blessed them with, we will generate economic prosperity with ease,” he said.

Bagudu reaffirmed Tinubu’s commitment to strengthening local government administration and pledged his ministry’s readiness to collaborate with council leaders to actualise their economic potentials

On financial autonomy, Bagudu said Tinubu was determined to implement the Supreme Court judgment permitting direct allocation of funds to local government councils nationwide.

“The Supreme Court has given a judgment which started with one of the elements, which is just the financial element, meaning money can be paid to local governments directly which Mr President is determined to implement.

“However, we must understand the broader autonomy argument,” he said.

Speaking on the endorsement, ALGOVC National Chairman, Mrs Uju Okolo, said Tinubu was making efforts to reposition Nigeria for greatness and expressed confidence in his leadership.

Okolo, who is Vice Chairman of Oshimili North Local Government Area of Delta, said the president’s re-election would further strengthen national stability and support ongoing development efforts.

Earlier, she called for stronger unity, inclusive governance and collective responsibility among members as political activities gathered momentum ahead of the 2027 general elections.

She pledged the association’s commitment to partnering with the Federal Government and urged members to promote peace, accountability and progress within ALGOVC and Nigeria.

“I want to assure you that under my watch, I will restore trust and confidence among ourselves, and ensure that everybody is responsible for his or her duty,” Okolo said.

Okolo urged state governors to review their local government laws and assign meaningful responsibilities to vice chairmen to promote effective administration.

She said some states had updated their laws to provide substantive responsibilities for vice chairmen, while others lagged behind, leaving many officials underutilised.(NAN)

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Edited by Abiemwense Moru