NEWS
President Tinubu Urges Governors to Prioritise Roads Over Flyovers, Rejects Ransom Negotiations With Terrorists
President Bola Tinubu has called on state governors across the country to prioritise the construction of road networks over flyovers in areas with minimal traffic, stressing that improved connectivity would enhance the quality of life for citizens while strengthening security operations in remote communities.
The President made the appeal on Thursday while receiving a delegation of traditional rulers from Oyo State led by the Olubadan of Ibadanland, Oba Rashidi Ladoja, at the Presidential Villa. The monarchs were at the Villa to congratulate him on the successful rescue of schoolchildren and teachers abducted from Oriire Local Government Area, who regained their freedom after spending 56 days in captivity.
Addressing members of the delegation, particularly former governors among them, Tinubu pointed out that states were now receiving significantly higher allocations from the Federation Account than in previous administrations.
He said, “The cost of operation is high. But the money that I’m pushing to the states, if you had it during your own time, or during my time, it would have been different.
“They are taking four to five times their money. Nobody is borrowing money to pay salaries now. Pensioners are receiving their pay.
“They should do more instead of building flying over where there is no numeric traffic; build roads and artery networks to really enhance the quality of life and the accessibility of the security agencies to penetrate those areas.”
The President also spoke extensively about the rescue of the Oriire abductees, revealing for the first time that the kidnappers had demanded not only a ransom but also the release of members of their criminal gang who were already in custody.
Tinubu insisted that his administration would never negotiate with terrorists or pay ransom to secure the freedom of victims.
He stated, “We refuse to negotiate for ransom. These criminals wanted us to release from detention members of their criminal gangs that were already arrested, that was one of their conditions, outside of the money they were looking for.
“And we said no deal. We are not going to negotiate with criminals.
“They committed murder, and we were ready to finish with their families, members of their own communities. They grew up somewhere.”
According to the President, the successful rescue mission underscored the effectiveness of Nigeria’s security forces, whom he praised for their professionalism and dedication.
He said, “I agree that we should commend the men and women of the armed forces for their excellent performance.
“On behalf of them, I accept your message, and I will forward the same thing and the same message on.”
Tinubu further disclosed that the Federal Government’s decision to expand the Nigerian Army from eight to 12 divisions was directly influenced by lessons learnt from the Oriire abduction.
He explained that every security challenge provided new insights that required adjustments in strategy, force deployment and operational planning.
The President said, “As we emphasise the question of security, each event teaches us new methods, opens our eyes, challenges us to examine and re-examine our architecture, our strategy, our map and operations.
“And you will have seen we’ve given a geographical and numerical answer to the challenges.
“We refused to pay ransom. We have the geography of the forest. We know what it is, and in answer to it, you’ve seen that from eight divisions, we are now moving to 12 divisions, to shorten the response time, to give that response time the teeth that is needed for us to defeat terrorism and banditry.”
The President also reaffirmed his administration’s commitment to establishing state police as part of broader security reforms aimed at tackling crime at the grassroots.
While acknowledging concerns over potential abuse of state policing structures, Tinubu assured Nigerians that adequate safeguards would be put in place to prevent misuse, adding that traditional rulers would also play important roles in the new security framework.
He stated, “It is very necessary, and we are doing so. We have equally embarked upon what was missing; several decades of fears and uncertainty about what to do about security at the local level will be corrected.
“There will be state police, and that state police will have guardrails from abuses.
“We will protect it from abuses, and you traditional rulers too will have a role to play more.”
The President attributed the growing wave of kidnappings and terrorist attacks in Nigeria partly to the deteriorating security situation in neighbouring Sahel countries, saying the instability in Mali, Burkina Faso and Niger Republic had worsened Nigeria’s security challenges.
He noted that many of those involved in criminal activities were not Nigerians and stressed the need to strengthen forest guards while accelerating plans for state police.
According to Tinubu, “Some of them are non-Nigerians. You see the problem of insecurity in Mali, Burkina Faso, Niger Republic; it is adding more fuel to our challenges.
“In fact, that is why we must enhance the capacity of the forest guards as well as create the state police.”
The President’s remarks come amid renewed efforts by the Federal Government to reform Nigeria’s security architecture, improve rapid response capabilities and encourage state governments to direct increased federal allocations towards infrastructure projects that deliver greater economic and security benefits for citizens.