Southern Governors Meet Traditional Rulers: Approve Security Fund, Back Tinubu Amid Rising Insecurity
By: Abudu Olalekan
Southern Governors and Traditional Rulers meet, approve zonal security fund, pass vote of confidence in President Tinubu amid rising insecurity.
The air inside Iperu-Remo’s governor’s office hung thick. Not just the humidity, but tension. Security chiefs in fatigues sat beside monarchs in flowing robes. Governors swapped uneasy glances. This wasn’t just another meeting. It was a reckoning. After months of kidnappings, classroom raids, and stalled highways, Southern Nigeria’s power players finally sat down. The goal? Chart a new security course. With Tinubu in the hot seat.
By dusk, the communique landed. No surprises. They backed Tinubu. Hard. “Vote of confidence in President Bola Ahmed Tinubu,” it blared. Why? “His leadership. His commitment to national stability.” And because of rescues: 38 kidnapped worshippers in Kwara. 51 school kids in Niger. 24 girls snatched in Kebbi. “Prompt moves,” the monarchs declared. “We won’t let him fight alone.” Simple. Direct. A calculated show of unity amidst chaos.
But the real meat was deeper. “Zonal Security Fund?” Abiodun read. “Approved.” One pot per zone. South-South, South-East, South-West. To pay for gear, logistics, and boots on the ground. “Monthly Security Advisers’ meetings?” “Institutionalised.” Real-time intel sharing. Cameras. Drones. Sat-coms. Connecting states like never before. “State Police?” (That old chestnut). “Still a must.” Decentralised policing. Closer to the grassroots. A decades-old call finally gaining real traction. “Collaborate with NIMC,” the Forum urged. Unified ID system. Tighter tracking, faster alerts.
Then came the Ooni’s words. Raw. Unfiltered. “Blame games won’t fix this!” he snapped. “No more North-South talk! Nigeria is ONE!” His voice cut through the formalities. “We ARE with the President! We stand BEHIND him!” The traditional institutions, he stressed, are “closest to the people.” From the 17 Southern states. Listening. Watching. Reporting. “First, defeat the external threats,” he declared. “Then, deal with the internal rot.” Security first. Politics later. A pragmatic, if passionate, stance.
Governor Abiodun set the tone earlier. “Geography isn’t safety anymore,” he warned. Ports. Industrial corridors. Airports. “We’re exposed.” Hence the urgency. Hence the fund. Hence the push for State Police. “Responsive. Realistic. Ready for TODAY’S threats.” Recent abductions proved central control fails at the edges. Grassroots policing, he argued, isn’t a dream. It’s a necessity. “Secure schools. Secure farms. Secure borders.” Intelligence flowing upwards, not just downwards.
So, what’s next? “Equipment investments,” say the communiqués. Joint purchases. Shared networks. Hunter groups armed. Vigilante units funded. Traditional councils empowered. Not just symbolic seats, but real operational roles. Combat illegal mining, regulate land use – keep trouble from festering on the margins.
This meeting felt like a shift. A Southern bloc flexing muscles, pooling resources, and placing a bold bet on local solutions. Tinubu gets backing. The regions get buy-in. But does this unity translate to safer streets and calmer classrooms? That’s the multi-billion naira question hanging in the humid air of Iperu-Remo. Only results on the ground will tell if this bold strategy holds water.
