..says Nigeria now respected globally
….years of corruption reversed by reforms
President Bola Tinubu hinted that his administration would create a state police to effectively address the security challenges across the country.
President Tinubu also directed the armed forces to deploy more advanced military hardware and surveillance gadgets in Katsina State to halt the recent spate of attacks on innocent citizens by bandits.
Tinubu gave the hint when he received a delegation of eminent citizens of the state led by Governor Dikko Umaru Radda at the State House, noting that the federal government will consider the operations of a state police, and further equip recently deployed forest guards.
Special Adviser to the President, Information & Strategy, Bayo Onanuga, in a statement in Abuja noted that Tinubu, who decried the politicisation of proposed state police, said the emergencies of security in some states will require the deployment of outfits that understand the terrain and the peculiar culture of the people and can easily network at the grassroots.
“The security challenges that we are facing are surmountable. Yes, we have porous borders. We inherited weaknesses that could have been addressed earlier. It is a challenge that we must fix, and we are facing it.
“I have today directed all the security agencies to energise further and look at the strategies. We have approved the additional acquisition of drones,” he added.
The President also directed daily feedback on the operations in Katsina.
“I am reviewing all the aspects of security; I have to create a state police. We are looking at that holistically. We will defeat insecurity. We must protect our children, people, livelihood, places of worship, and recreational spaces. They can’t intimidate us,” the President added.
The President assured the eminent leaders that former President Muhammadu Buhari would be immortalised to capture his legacy for posterity.
“The time we lost our brother, President Buhari, is a loss for all of us. It is the will of God Almighty, but he has left in a good way. He didn’t hand over a defeated country, a battered political structure, but a legacy of success, which is the most important thing.
“We just have to continue praying that Almighty Allah should grant him Aljannah Firdausi and give the rest of us the ability to stand very strong and push Nigeria forward. Not to look back in sorrow but move forward with success.
“It would have been regretful if we had lost the elections to the other parties. There are no other wishes he would have had than to have Katsina State and the Presidency intact,” the President noted.
The Governor of Katsina State thanked the President for his continual support for the state, which includes the appointment of indigenes into strategic positions in the state and the provision of infrastructure.
“Mr President, I would like to thank you very much, and I want to say before our elders that I never came to the President with a request that he rejected.
“We thank you, Mr President, for sharing with Katsina. You are a true son of Katsina State. I recall that Katsina was the first state you visited and spent a night in. We thank you for the privilege.
“We are here again, Mr President, I know that you are aware of the problem affecting our state,” he said.
Radda said the state needs more support in security, youth empowerment, and infrastructure.
The former Governor of Katsina State, Aminu Bello Masari assured the President of the loyalty of the state.
The Waziri of Katsina, Sen. Ibrahim Ida, commended President Tinubu’s efforts to ensure the timely completion of the Kano-Maradi Rail project and other infrastructures in the state.
Ida said the Umaru Musa Yar’Adua International Airport needed an upgrade to optimise its usage.
He said the state would need more security attention from the federal government, particularly in the Southern part of Katsina.
The Waziri of Katsina also thanked the President for honouring the former President with a state burial.
Tinubu: Nigeria now respected globally — years of corruption reversed by reforms
In another development, President Bola Tinubu says his reforms have earned Nigeria renewed global respect.
Tinubu spoke on Tuesday when he received a delegation of monarchs led by Ghandi Olaoye, the Soun of Ogbomosoland, at the State House.
According to a statement by Bayo Onanuga, special adviser to the president on information and strategy, Tinubu said that the country’s economy is now stable, attracting interest from around the world.
“Years of neglect and self-deception, fake records, smuggling, and all of that denied Nigeria the necessary revenue for progress and development,” he said.
“Then we were confronted again with arbitrage trading of currency, an illusion of selling papers, corruption all over the place, and the integrity of the country and its economy being significantly and adversely challenged.
“We had to take those actions [reforms]. With your prayers, patience, perseverance and great understanding, I’m glad to tell you today that the economy is stabilised. The bleeding has stopped. Haemorrhage is gone; the patient is alive.”
Tinubu said his administration has made significant investments in education, establishing the Nigerian Education Loan Fund (NELFund) to ensure that indigent Nigerians can attend school.
Tinubu described education as the “greatest weapon you can give to human beings against poverty”.
“That’s what we are doing. We have remained aggressive on our infrastructure. And it’s just two years,” the president said.
Olaoye commended Tinubu’s achievements, saying, “only a bold leader could have made such a record. Removing fuel subsidy has shown us that it is the right decision, and we can see the effects”.
Olaoye said the foreign exchange reforms and the student loans scheme have enabled many students to continue their schooling.
The traditional ruler thanked the president for awarding the contract for constructing the Oyo-Ogbomosho road, which had been abandoned for decades.
The monarch also sought Tinubu’s intervention in the water and power supply in Ogbomoso and the upgrading of the town’s general hospital into a federal medical centre.
The delegation included Samuel Otolorin, Areago of Ogbomosoland; Oyetunji Adeyeye, Alajaawa of Ajaawa; Bolarinwa Olajide, Onisapa of Isapa; Babatunde Amao, Aale Oke-elerin, and Akinola Akintola, Olokin-apa of Okin-apa.
Others were Ogundare Oluwakemi Rebecca, Iyalode of Ogbomosoland; Sola Adepoju, former director-general of Forestry Research Institute of Nigeria; and Ganiyu Atanda Owodunni, Aare Musulumi of Ogbomosoland.
Last month, while addressing investors in Brazil, Tinubu said his reforms have ended corruption in Nigeria, made the economy more competitive, boosted revenue, and strengthened the nation’s finances
