Stop Building ‘Empty’ Flyovers, Invest in Roads, Security Infrastructure – Tinubu Tells Govs

• Tinubu tells governors to abandon unnecessary flyovers and channel increased federal allocations into strategic road networks that improve economic activities, rural connectivity, and security operations.

• President reveals kidnappers of the Oriire schoolchildren demanded ransom and the release of detained gang members, insisting his administration rejected negotiations with terrorists.

• FG expands the Nigerian Army from eight to 12 divisions to strengthen operational capacity, reduce response time, and intensify the fight against terrorism and banditry nationwide.

• Tinubu says state police remain a key component of Nigeria’s security reforms, promising constitutional safeguards against abuse while urging traditional rulers to play active roles in local security.

President Bola Tinubu has urged state governors to prioritise road infrastructure over the construction of flyovers in areas with low traffic.

He argued that significantly higher federal allocations should be deployed to projects that directly improve citizens’ welfare, stimulate economic activities, and strengthen security operations across the country.

The President also reaffirmed his administration’s hardline stance against negotiating with terrorists, revealing that kidnappers who abducted schoolchildren and teachers in Oyo State demanded the release of detained members of their criminal network alongside ransom payments, but the Federal Government rejected the conditions outright.

Tinubu spoke on Thursday while receiving a delegation of traditional rulers from Oyo State led by the Olubadan of Ibadanland, at the Presidential Villa, Abuja.

The monarchs were at the State House to congratulate him on the successful rescue of pupils and teachers abducted from Oriire Local Government Area after spending 56 days in captivity.

Addressing the delegation, Tinubu said states now receive between four and five times the allocations they previously obtained from the Federation Account, insisting that governors should channel the increased revenues into critical infrastructure instead of prestige projects.

“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 flyovers where there is no significant 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 said.

No Ransom, No Deal as FG Unveils New Security Strategy

Speaking publicly for the first time on the Oriire abduction since the victims were rescued on July 10, Tinubu disclosed that the terrorists sought the release of imprisoned members of their gang in addition to demanding ransom, a condition his administration refused to entertain.

“We refuse to negotiate for ransom. These criminals wanted us to release from detention members of their criminal gangs who were already arrested.

“That was one of their conditions, outside of the money they were looking for. We said no deal. We are not going to negotiate with criminals,” he declared.

According to the President, the successful rescue operation demonstrated the effectiveness of intelligence gathering and military planning, noting that security agencies had detailed knowledge of the forest terrain where the victims were held.

Tinubu explained that lessons from the incident informed his directive to expand the Nigerian Army from eight to 12 divisions, saying the additional formations would improve response times, enhance troop deployment, and strengthen the country’s capacity to combat terrorism and banditry.

“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.

“We’ve given a geographical and numerical answer to the challenges. From eight divisions, we are now moving to 12 divisions to shorten the response time and give that response the teeth needed to defeat terrorism and banditry,” he said.

The President commended members of the Armed Forces for what he described as their exceptional performance during the rescue mission, promising to convey the appreciation of the Oyo traditional rulers to the military leadership.

Tinubu also reiterated his administration’s commitment to establishing state police, assuring Nigerians that adequate constitutional safeguards would be put in place to prevent abuse of the system.

“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 greater role to play,” he said.

He further attributed Nigeria’s worsening security challenges partly to instability across neighbouring Sahel countries, including Mali, Burkina Faso, and the Niger Republic, saying the influx of armed elements from the region had compounded domestic security threats.

According to him, the Federal Government is strengthening forest guards alongside other security reforms to improve surveillance and deny criminal groups safe havens.