Senior Special Assistant to the President on Youth Engagement, Dare Ojepe, has described President Bola Ahmed Tinubu’s recent endorsement of state police as a decisive turning point in Nigeria’s long-running quest for strengthened internal security.
In a commentary issued at the weekend, Ojepe said the President’s announcement—granting states the green light to establish their own police formations—represents a significant moment in the nation’s leadership trajectory, ending years of hesitation on one of the country’s most debated security reforms.
According to him, the decision signals a strategic shift aimed at decentralising security responsibilities and empowering subnational governments to take more active roles in protecting their communities.
President Tinubu’s directive was accompanied by several complementary measures, including fresh recruitment into the Armed Forces and the Nigeria Police Force, retraining and redeployment of Forest Guards, and the withdrawal of over 11,000 police officers from VIP escort duties to reinforce frontline operations.
Ojepe argued that these steps demonstrate a broader pattern of governance reforms under the Tinubu administration — from liberalising power generation and distribution to easing fiscal constraints on the Federal Capital Territory and implementing economic measures such as subsidy removal and exchange-rate harmonisation.
He noted that while some of these policies have come with short-term discomfort, the government believes they are necessary to stabilise and reposition the economy. However, Ojepe stressed that economic progress cannot be sustained without decisive improvements in security.
He emphasized that crime often manifests at community level, making locally grounded policing models critical to timely intelligence gathering and rapid response. While acknowledging concerns about potential misuse of state police, he argued that such risks can be mitigated through strong legal safeguards and institutional accountability.
Ojepe also underscored the role of young Nigerians in the success of the reforms, stating that youth participation—whether through policing careers, community vigilance structures, technology-driven reporting tools, or civic engagement—will be essential to building safer communities.
He called on the National Assembly to expedite legislative work required to give operational force to state policing and strengthen whistleblower protections, noting that several security agencies have long advocated these reforms.
Ojepe concluded that the broader success of the security initiative will depend on coordinated action among political leadership, institutions, and the citizenry.
