It began with celebration and ended with conviction. From the emotional highs of the Super Falcons’ historic 10th WAFCON triumph in Morocco to a decisive week of statecraft in Abuja, President Bola Ahmed Tinubu sustained a hectic but profoundly symbolic week of leadership. It was a week where he moved from encouraging sporting excellence to institutionalising grassroots economic empowerment, all while pressing Nigeria’s governors to shift from political posturing to practical delivery.
While Monday was reserved for adulation and joy, Thursday was about reckoning. The President, in full command of both the emotional and policy arenas of governance, met with the National Economic Council (NEC) and did not mince words. He tasked the governors—many of whom had enjoyed soaring revenues in recent months—to match his administration’s macroeconomic victories with tangible action at the lowest levels of society. His charge was direct: let the wealth flow down to the wards, to the very soil of the republic and let the poor breathe.
The outcome was the formal endorsement of the Renewed Hope Ward Development Programme—a bold, sweeping initiative designed to drill the gains of Nigeria’s recovering economy directly into the country’s 8,809 wards. This was not mere policy theorising. This was Tinubu forcing the hand of the political class to embrace real federalism through shared economic responsibility.
Governor Hope Uzodinma of Imo State, speaking after the NEC meeting, captured the moment succinctly: “The President came up with a programme that will fast-track the process of this additional money creating a bigger impact on Nigerians by making sure that it trickles down to the grassroots.” That is Tinubu’s central thesis—economic reform means little unless it is felt in homes, farms, workshops, and marketplaces across Nigeria.
To be clear, President Tinubu’s economic reforms are no longer speculative theories—they are validated and praised by global institutions. The International Monetary Fund (IMF), in its 2025 Article IV Consultation, applauded Nigeria’s post-subsidy macroeconomic recalibration. Higher federation revenues, a stabilised naira, and increased oil output are signs of renewed strength. But Tinubu knows what the people feel is more important than what analysts write.
So when he stood before governors last week, it wasn’t to revel in progress—it was to press for delivery.
And that’s where the Renewed Hope Ward Development Programme breaks the mold. Anchored by the Ministry of Budget and Economic Planning, this plan targets 1,000 economically active individuals in each ward, empowering them to drive local production, generate employment, and combat poverty from the bottom up. This is the economics of empowerment, not entitlement. This is Tinubu saying: “I have built the runway; now let your people fly.”
As Minister Atiku Bagudu rightly observed, “Having stabilised the macroeconomy, the next step is to drill down development to the lowest levels.” And there’s no lower and more foundational unit in Nigeria’s political structure than the ward. If democracy must serve, let it begin at the roots. This is the constitutional vision that President Tinubu is resurrecting, inspired by Chapter Two of the 1999 Constitution which mandates all governments to ensure the prosperity and welfare of the people.
But Thursday’s NEC meeting was only the climax of a persistent campaign that had begun even before Tinubu became President and recalled just a week earlier at the APC National Executive Committee (NEC) meeting. There, President Tinubu spoke bluntly to the governors elected under the ruling party’s platform. “Nigerians are still complaining at the grassroots,” he declared. “You have to wet the grass more”. In one poetic turn of phrase, he laid bare the imbalance between macroeconomic gains and microeconomic experience.
He has been consistent in this. From urging states to deploy new federal revenues more creatively to calling for more state-level investment in food security and security infrastructure, Tinubu has never hidden his view that Nigeria’s true development lies beyond Abuja. It lies in the hinterlands—in places often forgotten once elections end.
Last week, the President took one more step in closing that governance gap. He made it clear that the era of “federated aloofness” is over. Every tier of government must co-own and co-drive development. The federal government alone cannot bear the burden of revitalising the nation.
Yet, amid all the weighty statecraft and strategic reform, President Tinubu did not forget to celebrate national excellence. If his Thursday at the NEC was about lifting people out of poverty, his Monday was about lifting the nation’s spirit.
When the victorious Super Falcons landed in Abuja fresh from their dramatic 3-2 WAFCON final win in Rabat, it wasn’t just a football team returning—it was national inspiration on parade. And Tinubu gave them a welcome worthy of history. Not only did he fulfil his promise to receive them personally at the State House, but he also institutionalised a reward culture that recognises achievement and inspires future greatness.
Each of the 24 players and 11 coaching crew received the national honour of Officer of the Order of the Niger (OON), a three-bedroom apartment under the Renewed Hope Housing Scheme, and the Naira equivalent of $100,000 and $50,000 respectively. That’s N4.5 billion worth of appreciation (for the cash gifts)—not just in cash, but in the value it signals.
“You have inspired millions,” Tinubu told them, his voice thick with emotion. “You have inspired me, too. It’s great for a nation to have assets that are the hope of today, tomorrow, and the day after. You represent that hope”. This wasn’t just a reward; it was a cultural statement. In this administration, excellence is no longer overlooked.
He joked about his own nerves during the match, how he almost couldn’t bear to watch, and how the First Lady nearly abandoned his dinner for the final. But in those light moments, the gravity of his leadership shone through. He had not just celebrated a win; he had elevated the team into enduring symbols of national pride and possibility.
His Unyielding Commitment to Reform and Inclusion
Meanwhile, last week, President Tinubu demonstrated once again that his brand of leadership is rooted not in rhetoric but in deliberate action. From celebrating excellence in sports and youth service to tightening the bolts of institutional reform and national inclusion, the President kept faith with his Renewed Hope Agenda and did much more.
For instance on Monday, besides honouring victorious Super Falcons, Tinubu also celebrated seasoned Lagos politician, Senator Musiliu Obanikoro, praising his decades of dedication to public service. On Tuesday, he gave a historic lift to youth development by awarding automatic federal employment, ₦250,000, and PhD scholarships to 200 outstanding NYSC members—an unprecedented move that speaks volumes about his belief in generational renewal.
Wednesday took a political turn, as the President received Hon. Abdulmumin Jibrin, an ally of Kwankwaso, in what may be the opening act of a broader realignment ahead of 2027. Yet, Tinubu showed no sign of pausing for political drama. That same day, he activated the leadership machinery for the Ogoni Federal University, empowering a long-overlooked region with transformative education infrastructure.
By Thursday, governance took centre stage. He extended the tenure of Customs CG Bashir Adeniyi to consolidate reforms, chaired a consequential FEC meeting that greenlit ₦213.7 billion in electrification projects, and kickstarted a bold ₦900 billion aviation overhaul. Before these these, he had swore in Hon. Nnana Uzor Kalu as National Assembly Service Commission (NASC) Commissioner and mourned a fallen statesman; Caleb Olubolade, who served at different time, in different capacities, in the Federal Executive Council.
And on Friday, the President turned to Nigeria’s most vocal generation—digital influencers. He challenged them to build, not break; to verify, not vilify. His message was clear: the future is now, and it is theirs to shape—with truth, unity, and responsibility. Tinubu isn’t merely governing—he is leading with purpose.
Indeed, it is this duality—policy reform and human celebration—that defines Tinubu’s governance. He understands that numbers must walk in tandem with narratives. That a government must both feed the body and lift the soul. In one week, he led an economic transformation agenda and made sports heroes of our daughters. That is the balance of leadership.
But now the governors must step up. President Tinubu has opened the door to wealth redistribution by stabilising Nigeria’s macroeconomic landscape. He has secured federation revenues, liberalised forex, and begun correcting the country’s fiscal posture. But if the wards—the beating hearts of Nigeria’s communities—do not benefit, the gains will ring hollow.
The Renewed Hope Ward Development Programme is not just another federal policy. It is a clarion call to state governments: the era of blaming Abuja is over. The President has brought Nigeria to a turning point, but the states must walk the people across it.
No governor, no local council chairman, no party leader has an excuse anymore. The roadmap has been drawn. The resources are flowing. The people are watching.
As the President said “we must invest more. Not just in infrastructure, but in our people.” He is doing just that—one ward, one policy, one celebration at a time.
So, whether it is through rewarding the Super Falcons or realigning national revenue to touch the poor, Bola Ahmed Tinubu is proving that governance must be both compassionate and consequential. He has moved the conversation from politics to performance.
And now, the rest of Nigeria’s political class must catch up. The time of excuses is over. The age of delivery has begun.
Dr Leon Usigbe: A Torchbearer Now at Rest
In the often unforgiving world of journalism, where deadlines chase by the minute and truth must be pursued through storms, Dr Leon Habby Usigbe stood tall—a dependable compass of clarity, courage, and quiet conviction. News of his passing on Friday, July 25, at the age of 62, struck a chilling chord through the corridors of the State House and among colleagues nationwide.
‘Dr Leon’, as he was fondly called by those who knew him—whether colleague or President—was more than the Bureau Chief of the Nigerian Tribune in Abuja; he was the embodiment of principled reporting. Sharp-witted and ethically grounded, he chronicled power not to flatter it, but to question it, always in service of the people’s right to know.
He was a familiar and respected presence in the State House Press Corps. One of the oldest among us, yet the fastest on the keys, Leon showed that professionalism never ages. He typed with the urgency of a cub reporter and the wisdom of a newsroom elder. His spirit was undimmed by time.
Beyond the beat, he was a family man, disciplined, health-conscious, and personable—a standard many of us quietly admired. That his departure came amid a perplexing battle with unclear ailments only deepens the ache of our loss.
For me, his death is personal. From Port Harcourt to Abuja, we shared more than bylines—we shared a bond.
Sleep on, Dr Leon. The newsroom mourns, the nation remembers. And we, your friends, will not forget.
