President Bola Tinubu has reaffirmed his administration’s commitment to strengthening the Armed Forces to tackle terrorism and banditry across the country.
Speaking during a one-day visit to Bayelsa State on Friday, where he commissioned key projects executed by Governor Douye Diri, the President said his government would continue to train and equip military personnel to address the nation’s security challenges.
He declared that the administration remains resolute in defeating insurgency and other forms of criminality.
Daily Trust reports that former President Goodluck Jonathan and his wife, Patience Jonathan, accompanied the President to the event.
Among the projects inaugurated were a 60-megawatt Independent Power Plant at Elebele in Ogbia Local Government Area, the 630-metre Angiama-Oporoma Bridge in Southern Ijaw LGA, and the dualised Yenagoa city road linking the Airport Road to the Sagbama-Ekeremor Road.
Speaking after inaugurating the projects, Tinubu said his administration would not relent in confronting insecurity.
“You have done a great job. I have commissioned some projects, very transformative projects that create opportunities, jobs and hope for our nation,” he said.
“Diri has demonstrated the power of purposeful leadership, and I am here standing before promising that we will confront the security challenges facing our country.
“We will work hard. We will continue to train our men of the armed forces and we will defeat terrorism and banditry, regardless of their shenanigans.”
The President also stressed the importance of collaboration between the federal and state governments, noting that such partnerships drive development.
“In our party, the APC, we believe that the people deserve to see governance translated into roads, bridges, power, jobs and real opportunities that affect human beings.
“The projects that I commissioned today demonstrate and testify to growth and development when the state and federal governments work in partnership in shared purpose.”
Tinubu described the Independent Power Plant as critical to industrialisation, assuring Nigerians of improved electricity supply to support economic growth.
Earlier, Governor Douye Diri said his administration’s policies had enabled significant reforms, particularly in the power sector, with the establishment of a 60-megawatt gas-fired plant to deliver reliable electricity.
He noted that the Angiama-Oporoma Bridge, long abandoned by successive administrations, had now been completed, addressing what he described as a historical neglect of one of the state’s major oil-producing areas.
Diri added that the Yenagoa-Oporoma Road would open up more than 60 communities in Southern Ijaw and parts of Brass Local Government Area, reducing travel time and boosting economic activities.
“This project will act as a catalyst for local development, stimulating economic activity, and strengthening the socio-economic fabric of these zones,” he said.