.Promises state police, forest guard upgrade
By Mathew Dadiya
President Bola Tinubu has said the armed forces will deploy more advanced military hardware and surveillance gadgets in Katsina State to halt the recent spate of attacks on innocent citizens by bandits.
The President, who received a delegation of eminent citizens of the state led by Governor Dikko Umaru Radda at the State House, Abuja late on Tuesday, said the federal government will consider the operations of a state police, and further equip recently deployed forest guards.
Tinubu, who decried the politicisation of proposed state police, said the exigencies 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 regrettable 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, thanked the President for honouring the late President Muhammadu with a “true state funeral.”
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 Kastina also thanked the President for honouring the former President with a state burial.
