President Bola Tinubu on Thursday called on state governors to prioritise road infrastructure over flyover projects in areas with little traffic, urging them to use their increased allocations from the Federation Account to improve connectivity, raise living standards, and enhance security access to rural communities.
According to the President, states are now receiving four to five times the allocations they previously got from the Federation Account.
Tinubu spoke while receiving a delegation of traditional rulers from Oyo State led by the Olubadan of Ibadanland, Oba Rashidi Ladoja, who visited to congratulate him over the rescue of schoolchildren and teachers abducted in Oriire Local Government Area after spending 56 days in captivity.
Addressing Ladoja and other members of the delegation who had served as governors, Tinubu 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.”
Speaking further, Tinubu disclosed that the terrorists who kidnapped the Oriire schoolchildren and teachers in May demanded the release of detained members of their group in addition to ransom, but the Federal Government rejected the request.
He said his decision to expand the Nigerian Army from eight divisions to 12 was a direct response to the Oriire abduction, explaining that the move would improve response times and strengthen the military’s ability to combat terrorism and banditry.
Tinubu reiterated that his administration would neither negotiate with terrorists nor pay ransom for the release of abductees.
Recalling the rescue operation for the first time since the victims regained freedom on July 10, the President said, “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.”
He also praised the armed forces for their role in the rescue mission, stating, “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 explained that the operation succeeded because security agencies had a clear understanding of the terrain and said every security challenge provided lessons that required adjustments in strategy and operations.
“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,” he said.
The President further 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.”
Tinubu also linked the rise in kidnappings and terrorist activities to instability in neighbouring Sahel countries.
“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,” he said.
