President Bola Tinubu has said the expansion of the Nigerian Army from eight to 12 divisions is aimed at strengthening the country’s security architecture and ensuring quicker military response to insecurity across the country.
The President made the remarks on Thursday while receiving traditional rulers from Oyo State under the auspices of the Oyo State Council of Obas, led by the Olubadan of Ibadanland, His Imperial Majesty, Oba Rashidi Adewolu Ladoja, Arusa I, at the State House, Abuja.
Tinubu said the four additional Army divisions had improved the military’s operational capacity and motivation to confront the security challenges that had persisted across the country.
The President commended members of the armed forces for their role in the successful rescue of victims in the Oriire abduction incident, attributing the success to the dedication of security personnel as well as the support and prayers of traditional rulers and Nigerians.
“Congratulations on the Oriire rescue that succeeded. I think we succeeded with your support, prayers, and I agree with you that we should commend the men and women of the armed forces for their excellent performance,” he said.
Recounting the government’s approach during the operation, Tinubu disclosed that his administration rejected demands by the kidnappers to negotiate for the release of detained members of their criminal gang in exchange for the abducted victims.
“We refused to negotiate. These criminals wanted us to review the release from detention of members of their criminal gangs that were already arrested. That was one of their conditions, aside from the money they were looking for. I said, ‘No deal.’ We are not going to negotiate with criminals. They committed murder,” the President stated.
He noted that Nigeria’s security challenges had been worsened by instability in neighbouring countries, particularly Mali, Burkina Faso and Niger Republic, revealing that some of the criminals involved in acts of insecurity were non-Nigerians.
Addressing concerns over the proposed establishment of state police, Tinubu assured Nigerians that adequate safeguards would be put in place to prevent abuse of the system.
“There will be state police. That state police will have guardrails from abuses. We’ll protect it from abuses, and you traditional rulers too will have roles to play,” he said.
The President also disclosed that his administration was strengthening the capacity of forest guards to combat criminal activities in forests across the country.
“We are equally enhancing the capacity and capability of the forest guards; they are not just to chase antelopes and animals. We are going to have them chase the criminals and deal with them in various forests,” he added.
Tinubu stressed the importance of intelligence gathering and community vigilance in addressing insecurity, urging Nigerians to be conscious of activities within their communities and promptly report suspicious persons and occurrences to security agencies.
Speaking on the economy, the President said Nigeria’s financial situation had improved significantly, noting that state governments were now receiving increased allocations and no longer needed to borrow to pay workers’ salaries.
“The situation has greatly improved. Governors are collecting good money now unlike what obtained when we were governors. No governor borrows money to pay salaries anymore,” he said.
He urged traditional rulers to encourage governors to prioritise quality infrastructure projects, particularly road networks that would improve connectivity and facilitate the movement of security agencies, rather than embarking on unnecessary flyover projects.
“They should concentrate more on building roads and arterial networks to enhance the quality of life and enable security agencies to penetrate those areas instead of building flyovers where there is no numeric traffic,” Tinubu said.
In his remarks, the Olubadan of Ibadanland, Oba Rashidi Adewolu Ladoja, thanked the President for the successful rescue of the Oriire abductees and commended the achievements of the Tinubu administration.
The monarch advocated true federalism as a pathway to accelerated development across the country’s geopolitical zones and expressed optimism that the recently established Regional Development Commissions would further drive growth.
He also reaffirmed the support of traditional rulers for the Renewed Hope Agenda.
“We believe in your Renewed Hope Agenda. It is clear you are renewing our hope in infrastructure and fixing our abandoned roads. We traditional rulers must ensure this administration completes its tenure. We know it is a difficult job, and we are ready at any point in time to give you our opinion, our advice and our prayers,” Oba Ladoja said.
The Olubadan further appealed for constitutional recognition of traditional rulers by assigning them defined roles in the nation’s constitution.
Other members of the Oyo State traditional rulers’ delegation included the Aare Ago of Ogbomoso, High Chief S. Otolorin; the Osi Olubadan, Oba Abiodun Kola-Daisi; the Balogun of Ibadanland, Oba Tajudeen Ajibola; the Onigbeti of Igbeti, Oba Abioye Basiru Olalekan; the Alajawa of Ajawa, Oba Adeyeye Oyetunji; the Olugbon of Orile-Igbon, Oba Francis Alao; the Aseyin of Iseyin, Oba Sefiu Olawale Oyebola Adeyeri III; and Mogaji Wole Arisekola.
Also present at the meeting were the President’s Chief of Staff, Femi Gbajabiamila; Minister of Power, Joseph Tegbe; Chairman of the Nigerian Revenue Service, Zacch Adedeji; and the Special Adviser to the President on Media and Public Communication, Sunday Dare.