Nigeria’s President, Bola Ahmed Tinubu has affirmed that the Federal Government will not relent in its efforts to restore peace and prosperity to the nation, despite the tactics employed by bandits and insurgents.
The President made the remarks during a meeting with a delegation of the Christian Association of Nigeria (CAN), led by its President, Archbishop Daniel Okoh, at his Lagos residence.
President Tinubu stated that his administration is committed to establishing state and community policing to transform the country’s security landscape.
He also called on CAN to collaborate with his administration in achieving the nation’s collective aspirations, noting that some measures undertaken by his government would take time to mature.
“The mood of the nation is peaceful, although our ungoverned spaces are so large. The challenge is real, but we will surmount it. We are very religious. We are prayer warriors. We need your focus, vigilance, and cooperation.
Community and State Police will be a reality once the National Assembly completes the required legislative inputs. Military hardware is difficult to replace. It is expensive and not available off the shelf.
Our orders for four attack helicopters from the United States of America will take some time to arrive. We have approached Turkey for assistance,” he added.
The President noted that delays were affecting public perception of the administration’s commitment to addressing security challenges.
In a statement issued on Friday by the Presidential Spokesperson, Mr Bayo Onanuga, Nigerians were assured that the ongoing recalibration of the country’s security architecture will soon begin to yield results that will gladden their hearts.
Commenting on the recent abduction and release of schoolchildren in Niger and Kebbi states, President Tinubu emphasised the need for vigilance, adding: “The rhetoric on how the children were released or what happened to the kidnappers is secondary; the end justifies the means.”
CAN President and delegation leader, Archbishop Daniel Okoh, assured the President of the organisation’s support.
“You are our President. The Church has no choice but to support you and your administration.”
He also acknowledged the receipt of palliatives from the government, which are usually extended to the association during religious festivals and even off-season.
Archbishop Okoh, however, appealed to President Tinubu to always engage directly with the association’s representatives through its established structures in each of the country’s 774 local government areas.
He also requested the release of funds to the Christian Pilgrims’ Board to enable it to fulfil its mandate.
Other members of the delegation included the Vice President of CAN, Rev. Dr Stephen Panya Baba; President of the Pentecostal Fellowship of Nigeria, Bishop Francis Wale Oke; as well as representatives from the Organisation of African Instituted Churches (OAIC), the Catholic and Methodist blocks, and the CAN Chairman for Lagos State, Bishop Stephen Adegbite.