President Bola Ahmed Tinubu has assured Nigerians that community and state policing will soon become a reality once the National Assembly completes the required legislative inputs, saying the move will mark a decisive shift in the country’s security approach.

The President gave the assurance yesterday while receiving a delegation of the Christian Association of Nigeria (CAN), led by its President, Daniel Okoh, at his residence in Lagos.

According to a statement issued by his Special Adviser on Information and Strategy, Bayo Onanuga, Tinubu said his administration’s ongoing recalibration of the nation’s security architecture was designed to deliver tangible results, adding that new approaches would change Nigeria’s security narrative and restore public confidence.

“The mood of the nation is peaceful, although our ungoverned spaces are so large. The challenge is real, but we will surmount it,” the President said, calling for vigilance, cooperation and sustained engagement with faith-based groups.

He stressed that legislative backing was critical to the take-off of sub-national policing.

“Community and State Police will be a reality once the National Assembly completes the required legislative inputs,” Tinubu said, explaining that security reforms required patience, especially in the procurement of military hardware.

The President noted that delays in acquiring equipment, particularly air assets, had affected public perception, but insisted the government was not relenting.

“Military hardware is difficult to replace. It is expensive and not available off the shelf. Our orders for four attack helicopters from the United States of America will take some time to arrive. We have approached Turkey for assistance,” he said.

On the recent abduction and subsequent release of schoolchildren in Niger and Kebbi states, he urged vigilance, adding that outcomes mattered more than rhetoric.

“The rhetoric on how the children were released or what happened to the kidnappers is secondary; the end justifies the means,” he said.

Responding, Archbishop Okoh assured the President of the Church’s support, describing him as “our President” and pledging cooperation.

He acknowledged the receipt of palliatives extended to CAN during religious festivals and beyond, and commended Tinubu’s commitment to addressing security and socio-economic challenges.

“We acknowledge that the task before you is daunting, but we are assured of your sagacity. The Christian community is committed to ensuring that you succeed,” Okoh said, adding that the administration’s engagement had “closed the gap between the government and the Church.”

The CAN President appealed for direct engagement through the association’s established structures across the country’s 774 local government areas and requested the release of funds to the Christian Pilgrims’ Board to enable it to fulfil its mandate.

Members of the delegation included CAN Vice President, Rev. Dr Stephen Panya Baba; President of the Pentecostal Fellowship of Nigeria, Bishop Francis Wale Oke; representatives of the Organisation of African Instituted Churches, the Catholic and Methodist blocs, and the CAN Chairman in Lagos State, Bishop Stephen Adegbite. (The Nation)