—Says federal allocations to states have increased under his administration
——Reveals FG rejected terrorists’ ransom and swap demands in Oyo school abductions
President Bola Tinubu has admonished state governors to halt the construction of cosmetic flyovers in areas with low vehicular traffic. Instead, he urged them to channel their significantly enhanced federal allocations into developing rural road networks that will improve living standards and grant security agencies swift access to remote areas to combat banditry.
The President disclosed that following recent fiscal reforms, state governments now receive between four and five times their previous allocations from the Federation Account Allocation Committee (FAAC).
Tinubu gave the charge at the State House in Abuja on Thursday during a meeting with a delegation of Oyo State traditional rulers. The delegation, led by the Olubadan of Ibadanland, Oba Rashidi Ladoja, had paid a congratulatory visit to the President following the rescue of abducted schoolchildren and teachers from Oriire Local Government Area of Oyo State, who were freed after 56 days in captivity.
Prioritise Rural Access Over Cosmetic Projects
Addressing the delegation, which included former governors, President Tinubu noted that the increased revenue flow to states leaves governors with no excuse for failing to execute grassroots development projects. He argued that opening up rural communities through robust feeder roads is critical to both economic growth and national security.
“The cost of operation is high. But the money that I am pushing to the states, if you had it during your own time, or during my time, it would have been different,” Tinubu said, referring to the era when both he and Ladoja served as governors of Lagos and Oyo states, respectively.
“They are taking four to five times their usual allocations. Nobody is borrowing money to pay salaries now. Pensioners are receiving their pay. They should do more instead of building flyovers where there is no numeric traffic. They should build roads and artery networks to really enhance the quality of life and enable security agencies to penetrate those vulnerable areas.”
Economic analysts have noted that the removal of the petrol subsidy and the floating of the Naira have dramatically boosted the nation’s distributable revenue. The President’s remarks highlight a growing concern in the presidency that these windfall revenues are not being effectively utilized by states to address poverty and insecurity at the grassroots level.
The Oriire Rescue: ‘No Ransom, No Prisoner Swap’
Speaking publicly for the first time on the rescue of the Oyo abductees, who were freed on July 10, Tinubu revealed that the bandits had demanded both a hefty financial ransom and the release of their detained gang members. The Federal Government, he said, flatly rejected the terms.
“We refused 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 and members of their own communities. They grew up somewhere,” the President said.
Tinubu commended the armed forces for the successful operation, noting that the rescue was achieved because security forces map-read and dominated the forest terrain.
“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 message to them,” he said.
Military Expansion and Structural Reforms
The President explained that the lessons learned from the Oriire abduction prompted a swift restructuring of the country’s defense architecture. Most notably, the Nigerian Army is expanding its operational capacity from eight to 12 divisions.
According to the President, this expansion is a direct geographic and numerical response to the tactical challenges posed by asymmetric warfare.
“As we emphasise the question of security, each event teaches us new methods, opens our eyes, and challenges us to examine and re-examine our architecture, our strategy, our maps, and our operations,” Tinubu explained.
“We refused to pay ransom. We have the geography of the forest; we know what it is. In answer to it, you have seen that from eight divisions, we are now moving to 12 divisions. This is to shorten response times and give that response time the teeth that are needed for us to defeat terrorism and banditry.”
Tinubu also reiterated his administration’s commitment to establishing state police, a move he described as essential to correcting decades of security deficits at the local level. He assured the public that the policy would include strict legislative “guardrails” to prevent abuse by state executives.
“There will be state police, and that state police will have guardrails to prevent abuses. We will protect it from abuses, and you traditional rulers too will have a more prominent role to play,” he stated.
Linking Nigeria’s internal security challenges to broader geopolitical instability, the President blamed the influx of armed bandits on the security collapse in neighboring Sahelian countries, including Mali, Burkina Faso, and Niger Republic.
“Some of these criminals are non-Nigerians. The problem of insecurity in Mali, Burkina Faso, and Niger Republic is adding more fuel to our challenges. That is why we must enhance the capacity of our forest guards, as well as create state police,” Tinubu concluded.
