‘I Was Stubborn At The Beginning Of My Govt’ – Tinubu Admits

Abuja – President Bola Ahmed Tinubu has admitted he was “a little bit stubborn” at the onset of his administration, citing the barrage of criticisms from newspapers and opinion leaders even as he pushed tough reforms to rescue Nigeria from the brink of bankruptcy.

NaijaChoice News reports that the President made the revelation on Friday, March 13, 2026, while hosting an interfaith breaking of fast with senior journalists, media executives, Newspapers Proprietors’ Association of Nigeria (NPAN) members, and the Nigerian Guild of Editors at the Presidential Villa, Abuja.

Tinubu, who described his daily newspaper reading habit as an “addiction,” thanked the media for the pressure that sharpened his leadership.

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

He continued: “At the beginning of this administration, I was just a little bit stubborn, looking at opportunities to correct things and make life more easier for the downtrodden… I was a little stubborn at the beginning of this administration because the hits were coming from the papers and various opinion leaders. At the time, we had to confront the subsidy. Nigeria was on the edge of bankruptcy.”

The President also used the occasion to highlight landmark reforms in federalism, noting that his administration has ensured local governments now receive their allocations directly from the Federation Account.

This followed the Supreme Court judgment of July 2024, which granted financial autonomy to the 774 local government councils and ended the era of joint accounts with states.

“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 the local governments too and equally the sub-national,” Tinubu declared.

He pointed out that the reforms have yielded results, declaring that “today, there is no state that is borrowing to pay the salaries of employees,” thanks to improved revenue from higher crude oil production and enhanced tax collection by the Federal Inland Revenue Service.

The President urged the media to extend the same rigorous scrutiny it applies to the Federal Government to governors and local council chairmen, stressing that true federalism demands shared accountability.

“You didn’t spare me, but you challenged me and provoked that intellectual curiosity of a leader that must perform,” he added, while acknowledging the tough economic climate facing media houses, including high import tariffs on newsprint.

NaijaChoice News gathered that the interfaith Iftar, attended by prominent publishers like Sam Amuka of Vanguard and Maiden Ibru of Guardian, as well as former Ogun State Governor Aremo Segun Osoba, provided a platform for the President to reflect on his journey while calling for collaborative nation-building.

The event comes amid ongoing debates on the impact of the administration’s reforms, with many analysts crediting the direct LG funding and revenue improvements for easing fiscal pressures at the sub-national level.

Tinubu assured stakeholders that his government remains committed to easing the burden on Nigerians, even as he challenged the media to keep all tiers of government on their toes.