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President Bola Tinubu pledged Monday evening to establish state police across Nigeria, describing decentralised policing as a practical security necessity rather than a political manoeuvre, as he hosted 20 state governors, two deputy governors, and senior federal officials to an interfaith breaking of fast at the State House Banquet Hall in Abuja.
The dinner, which marked the first Iftar of the 2026 Ramadan season, also coincided with the Christian Lenten period, a convergence that multiple attendees described as occurring for the first time in 33 years. Vice President Kashim Shettima, Chief of Staff to the President Femi Gbajabiamila, members of the Federal Executive Council, and Inspector-General of Police Kayode Egbetokun were among those present. Speaking directly on insecurity, President Tinubu tied the state police commitment to a broader assurance that campaign promises made before his inauguration in May 2023 would not be deferred.
“What I promised you will not be postponed. We will establish state police to combat insecurity,” he declared. The statement represented one of his most direct public reaffirmations of the policy since assuming office, though no legislative timeline or implementation framework was announced at the event.
Nigeria currently operates a centralised federal police structure under the Nigeria Police Force, which is constitutionally under federal command. Successive administrations have debated decentralising policing to the state level, with proponents arguing that state governments are better positioned to respond to localised security threats. Opponents have historically raised concerns about political interference and the risk of governors deploying state police against opponents. A constitutional amendment enabling state policing was passed by the National Assembly and signed by President Tinubu in 2024, though implementation has remained pending.
“Security is the foundation of prosperity,” the President said. “Without it, farms cannot flourish, businesses cannot grow, and families cannot sleep in peace. This is not about politics; it is about practicality. It is about empowering states with the tools to protect their people while strengthening our national framework.”
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Beyond security, President Tinubu used the gathering to strike an optimistic tone on the economy, asserting that the country had moved past its most turbulent period since his administration removed the petrol subsidy and unified the foreign exchange rate shortly after taking office in 2023, reforms that triggered sharp rises in fuel prices and a significant depreciation of the naira. “We are out of the woods. We are out of the dark tunnel of uncertainty. The economy is showing up,” he said, without citing specific indicators.
The address also carried a pastoral dimension, with President Tinubu directing pointed remarks at the assembled governors, urging them to extend the reach of government services to communities at the margins. “To reach the young man who feels forgotten. To lift the woman who carries her family on tired shoulders. To touch the communities at the grassroots where hope sometimes flickers,” he said. He added that development must not be filtered through religious, ethnic, or socioeconomic lines, telling governors that “compassion must not recognise tribe and opportunity must not recognise status.”
The president singled out individual governors by name during his remarks. He commended Borno State Governor Babagana Zulum for Ramadan outreach initiatives that included both Muslim and Christian beneficiaries, describing the programmes as reflecting “a very, very good spirit.” He also made a light-hearted reference to Niger State Governor Mohammed Bago, whom he called “my son, the farmer from Niger,” while acknowledging that his office had been receiving a mix of complaints and commendations from across the states.
Responding on behalf of his colleagues, Imo State Governor Hope Uzodimma, who chairs the Progressive Governors’ Forum and was representing Nigeria Governors’ Forum Chairman AbdulRahman AbdulRasaq of Kwara State, described the gathering as divinely timed. “It is not often that the Muslim Ramadan fast coincides with the Lenten season. The last time was 33 years ago,” Governor Uzodimma said. “This convergence is a special situation created by God to remind us, Christians and Muslims, not to allow religious and ethnic differences to guide our thoughts and political activities.”
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Governor Uzodimma also praised President Tinubu’s reform agenda and pledged continued cooperation from the state governments. “My brother governors will continue to partner with you,” he said, citing what he described as unprecedented policy support extended to state administrations, including tax reform legislation and intergovernmental fiscal arrangements.
Prayers at the event were led by State House Chief Imam Abdulwaheed Sulaiman for Muslim attendees and by Taraba State Governor Agbu Kefas for Christians, reflecting the interfaith character of the occasion. The dinner marked the third consecutive year that President Tinubu has convened governors and senior officials for a Ramadan Iftar at the State House, a tradition his administration has maintained since taking office.
President Tinubu also touched on internal party dynamics without elaborating, advising members of the All Progressives Congress to exercise tolerance during ongoing state congress activities. He made a brief appeal to Kano State Governor Abba Kabir Yusuf, a member of the opposition New Nigeria Peoples Party — noting his presence at the gathering as a gesture of goodwill, saying “even though the cap is red, it’s not different from APC.”
No specific date was provided for the establishment of state police structures, and no ministry or agency was named as the lead implementation body for the initiative. The presidency did not issue supplementary documentation outlining a legislative or administrative roadmap following the event.
