Abuja: President Bola Tinubu has urged House of Representatives members to support a community-driven approach to tackling insecurity across the country.
This call was made on Friday, when Tinubu addressed lawmakers during an interfaith breaking of the fast at the Presidential Villa in Abuja.
Building on his remarks, the President stressed that security challenges must be addressed holistically, with special attention to the grassroots level.
Tinubu emphasised the local nature of security challenges, stating, “Security is local. If security is local, we just have to work together to make sure that we are safe.”
He reiterated the need for lawmakers to mobilise public support for the creation of state police as part of efforts to strengthen the country’s security architecture.
The president continued, “We have to put pressure on our people to accept the need for state police.”
However, Tinubu cautioned that while supporting state police, the system must be properly structured to avoid abuse.
“It’s not a straight free fall for everybody. Tie it in a way that it will not be abused like in the past,” he said.
To underscore his point, the President noted that lawmakers must draw lessons from previous governance experiences.
He summarised this perspective, saying, “A good legislator must learn from the past to cure the present.”
Shifting to legislative achievements, Tinubu commended members of the National Assembly for supporting key reforms undertaken by his administration.
He specifically thanked them for backing the removal of fuel subsidy and the foreign exchange reforms.
“None of you asked if we could reverse the removal of the subsidy or the foreign exchange flotation of the naira.
Tinubu added, “You collaborated and joined together as a team. You gave me the inspiration to move on when the heat from critics was very high.”
Reflecting on the impact of lawmaker support, the President said the reforms had helped steer the country out of difficult economic conditions.
Reflecting on the economic reforms, Tinubu said, “I thank God that we are out of the dark tunnel of that period.”
He thanked lawmakers for their leadership and commitment to national unity.
According to him, the large turnout at the interfaith gathering reflects the strength of cooperation between the executive and the legislature.
He said such unity is essential for Nigeria’s stability and progress.
