Tinubu Urges Governors to Invest More in Roads, Warns Against Wasteful Flyovers

Tinubu Urges Governors to Invest More in Roads, Warns Against Wasteful Flyovers

President Bola Tinubu has urged state governors across Nigeria to prioritize road infrastructure and other people-centered projects over what he described as unnecessary flyovers in places with little traffic, saying public funds should be spent in ways that directly improve citizens’ lives and strengthen security.

He said many states are now receiving between four and five times the allocations they previously got from the Federation Account and should use the increased revenue responsibly.

Tinubu made the remarks on Thursday while receiving a delegation of traditional rulers from Oyo State at the Presidential Villa in Abuja. The delegation was led by the Olubadan of Ibadanland, Oba Rashidi Ladoja, and was in the Villa to congratulate the president on the rescue of schoolchildren and teachers abducted from Oriire Local Government Area of Oyo State.

The president used the occasion to address governors, especially former governors among the traditional rulers present, on the need to match higher revenue with visible development. He said governments should focus on roads, access routes and infrastructure that would improve mobility, support economic activity and make it easier for security agencies to reach hard-to-access communities.

“They should do more instead of building flyovers where there is no traffic; build roads and artery networks to really enhance the quality of life and the accessibility of the security agencies to penetrate those areas,” Tinubu said. He added that state governments were now receiving significantly more money than before and should ensure that the resources were not wasted on projects with little public value.

Tinubu also spoke publicly for the first time about the abduction of the schoolchildren and teachers in Oriire, revealing that the kidnappers demanded both ransom and the release of detained gang members as a condition for freeing the victims. According to him, the Federal Government rejected the demands outright and refused to negotiate with criminals.

He said the administration remained firm in its position against ransom payment, insisting that the government would not reward criminal gangs. Tinubu also said the abductors had wanted their detained members released as part of the deal, but the government stood its ground and declined the request.

The president disclosed that the incident influenced his decision to expand the Nigerian Army from eight to 12 divisions. He said the restructuring was intended to improve the military’s operational reach, shorten response time and strengthen the country’s capacity to respond to terrorism and banditry. Tinubu explained that the rescue operation succeeded in part because security forces had detailed knowledge of the forest where the victims were held.

“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,” he said. “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.”

Tinubu praised the armed forces for what he described as their excellent performance during the rescue operation and said he would relay the commendation to them. He also reiterated his administration’s commitment to reforming Nigeria’s security architecture, saying state police would eventually be introduced, but with safeguards to prevent abuse.

He said traditional rulers would also have a greater role to play in the new security arrangement. According to him, decades of uncertainty over local security structures would be addressed as part of the government’s broader reform effort.

The president further blamed the worsening security situation partly on instability in the Sahel region, saying the crisis in countries such as Mali, Burkina Faso and the Niger Republic had spilled into Nigeria and worsened insecurity along porous borders. He said some of those behind violent attacks were foreign nationals crossing into the country through unguarded border areas.