Tinubu to Governors: Stop Building Flyovers in Low-Traffic Areas, Invest in Roads and Security Access

President Bola Tinubu on Thursday urged state governors to stop building flyovers in areas with low traffic and instead channel their significantly enhanced federal allocations into road networks that would improve living standards and give security agencies better access to remote areas.

He noted that states are now receiving four to five times what they used to get from the Federation Account.

Tinubu made the charge when he received a delegation of traditional rulers from Oyo State led by the Olubadan of Ibadanland, Oba Rashidi Ladoja, who came to congratulate him on the successful rescue of abducted schoolchildren and teachers from Oriire Local Government Area after 56 days in captivity.

The President, directing his remarks at Ladoja and other former governors in the delegation, said:  

“The cost of governance 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 getting 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 flyovers where there is no vehicular traffic, build roads and arterial networks to really enhance the quality of life and the accessibility of security agencies to penetrate those areas.”

*”We Refused to Pay Ransom” – Tinubu on Oriire Abduction*

Also at the meeting, Tinubu disclosed that terrorists who abducted schoolchildren and teachers in Oriire in May had demanded the release of their jailed members alongside ransom, but the demand was flatly rejected.

Speaking publicly about the incident for the first time since the rescue of the Oyo abductees on July 10, he said:  

“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 go after their families and members of their own communities. They grew up somewhere.”

He commended the security forces for the rescue operation, saying:  

“I agree that we should commend the men and women of the armed forces for their excellent performance. On their behalf, I accept your message, and I will forward the same.”

*Army Expansion, State Police and Sahel Threat*

Tinubu revealed that his directive to expand the Army from eight to 12 divisions was a direct operational response to the Oriire school abduction crisis. He said the increase was designed to shorten response times and give security forces the numerical and geographic capacity to defeat terrorism and banditry.

“As we emphasise the question of security, each event teaches us new methods and challenges us to re-examine our architecture, strategy, and operations.  

“And you will have seen we’ve given a geographical and numerical answer to the challenges. We have the geography of the forest. In answer to it, you’ve seen that from eight divisions, we are now moving to 12 divisions, to shorten the response time and give it the teeth needed to defeat terrorism and banditry,” he said.

The President added that the Federal Government would also correct decades of uncertainty about security at the local level.  

“There will be state police, and that state police will have guardrails against abuses. We will protect it from abuses, and you traditional rulers too will have a role to play,” he stated.

Tinubu blamed the intensified kidnappings and terrorist attacks on security collapse in Nigeria’s Sahel neighbours.  

“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 forest guards as well as create state police,” he said.