President Bola Tinubu on Friday assured Nigerians that the ongoing recalibration of the country’s security architecture will deliver positive results in due course. The assurance came during a meeting with a delegation from the Christian Association of Nigeria (CAN), led by its President, Archbishop Daniel Okoh, at the President’s Lagos residence, according to his Special Adviser on Information & Strategy, Bayo Onanuga.
President Tinubu emphasised his administration’s commitment to establishing state and community policing to strengthen national security. He urged CAN to collaborate with the government to achieve the country’s shared goals, noting that some security measures require time to take effect.
“The mood of the nation is peaceful, although our ungoverned spaces are large. The challenge is real, but we will surmount it. We are a very religious nation; we are prayer warriors. We need your focus, vigilance, and cooperation,” the President said.
He explained that community and state police would become operational once the National Assembly completes the necessary legislative processes. He also noted that procuring military hardware, such as the four attack helicopters ordered from the United States, takes time due to cost and availability, and added that the government is seeking additional support from Turkey.
Acknowledging that delays might affect public perception, Tinubu reaffirmed that his administration remains committed to restoring peace and prosperity despite the tactics of bandits and insurgents. Commenting on the recent abduction and release of schoolchildren in Niger and Kebbi states, he urged vigilance and said, “the rhetoric on how the children were released or what happened to the kidnappers is secondary; the end justifies the means.”
Archbishop Daniel Okoh, on behalf of CAN, pledged the church’s support for the President, stating, “You are our President. The Church has no choice but to support you and your administration.” He commended Tinubu’s commitment to addressing socio-economic and security challenges and urged him to continue his efforts.
Okoh also called on the President to engage directly with CAN through its established structures in all 774 local government areas and requested the release of funds to the Christian Pilgrims’ Board to enable it to fulfil its mandate.
Other members of the delegation included CAN Vice President Rev. Dr. Stephen Panya Baba, President of the Pentecostal Fellowship of Nigeria Bishop Francis Wale Oke, representatives from the Organisation of African Instituted Churches (OAIC), Catholic and Methodist blocs, and CAN Chairman, Lagos State, Bishop Stephen Adegbite.