President Bola Tinubu has reaffirmed his commitment to establishing state police across Nigeria’s 36 states, highlighting it as a key strategy to tackle the country’s worsening insecurity.

Speaking at the 14th National Caucus meeting of the APC at the State House Conference Centre in Abuja on Thursday, Tinubu disclosed that he had assured the United States and European partners that his administration would implement the reform.

State police, he emphasized, “must happen” to enhance security and strengthen governance at the subnational level. The President also stressed the importance of local government autonomy, urging governors to ensure that funds allocated to councils are not withheld and reach their intended beneficiaries.

Addressing APC leaders, Tinubu called for reconciliation, accommodation, and flexibility within the party, emphasizing that the majority party must lead by example. He stated:

“I had a very long discussion with the US and European partners. I was bragging to them that definitely we will pass a state police to improve security. They asked me if I’m confident, and I said, ‘Yes, I have a party to depend on. I have a party that will make it happen.’”

Tinubu further highlighted the need to comply with a recent Supreme Court judgment granting financial autonomy to local governments, insisting that councils must receive their allocations directly to make autonomy meaningful.

“To me, the local government autonomy, it is and must be effective. There is no autonomy without a funded mandate; give them their money directly. That’s the truth. That’s compliance of the Supreme Court,” he said.

The President’s remarks come amid growing calls for decentralized policing and strengthened grassroots governance as Nigeria faces escalating security challenges.