President Bola Ahmed Tinubu on Tuesday reaffirmed his administration’s unwavering determination, commitment and resolve to overcome the nation’s lingering security challenges through sustained, comprehensive and far-reaching reforms, including improved salaries, better welfare packages and enhanced working conditions for personnel of the armed forces and the Nigeria Police Force, as part of efforts to boost their morale and operational efficiency.
The President, who was in Dutse, the Jigawa State capital, for a grand campaign rally and commissioning of projects, told a mammoth crowd of party faithful, supporters and well-wishers at the Dutse Township Stadium that his administration is strengthening and repositioning the security agencies to be more effective, responsive and capable of protecting lives and property across all parts of the country, regardless of ethnicity, religion or political affiliation.
Addressing thousands of All Progressives Congress, APC, supporters who thronged the stadium to receive him, President Tinubu said his government is working tirelessly, day and night, to ensure that Nigeria becomes safe, secure and peaceful for all citizens, and that men and officers of the security forces are well taken care of, well motivated and well equipped to carry out their constitutional responsibilities effectively.
“I promise you, we are working hard to ensure that Nigeria is safe and our forces are well taken care of, regardless of where they come from. We will conquer insecurity. We’ve been through many wars. We will defeat our enemies. Enemies of unity, Enemies of stability, Enemies of hope. I assure you that we are doing that. We are strengthening the police, we are strengthening the armed forces. We are paying better salaries today,” President Tinubu declared to the cheering crowd.
The President used the occasion of the rally to formally present the All Progressives Congress campaign manifesto for the 2027 general elections, titled “From Reforms to Prosperity,” which outlines in detail his administration’s achievements in the last three years and its future plans and programmes in critical sectors such as infrastructure, healthcare, agriculture, education, economy and security.
He said the manifesto provides a clear, well-thought-out and comprehensive blueprint, roadmap and strategic framework for consolidating the ongoing economic reforms, expanding opportunities for all Nigerians, creating jobs, reducing poverty and delivering shared prosperity that will benefit every segment of the Nigerian society, from the rich to the poor, from the cities to the rural areas.
The President pledged to complete all ongoing programmes, policies and projects initiated by his administration, noting that the administration’s bold and courageous policies, though initially painful, were already yielding positive results, tangible dividends and measurable impacts across several sectors of the economy and in all six geopolitical zones of the country.
He vigorously defended his administration’s decision to remove the wasteful, corrupt and unsustainable fuel subsidy regime, saying those political rivals and opposition figures who are advocating for its return are only trying to deceive, mislead and manipulate Nigerians for cheap political gains, questioning how they would fund developmental projects, pay workers’ salaries and provide social services if they bring back subsidy.
The President assured the people of Jigawa State and Nigerians in general of a better, brighter and more prosperous future, saying the bold decision to withdraw the wasteful petroleum subsidy has made it possible for the Federal Government and sub-national governments to execute several laudable, impactful and life-changing projects across the country’s geopolitical zones, projects that were hitherto impossible due to lack of funds.
“You have seen what we are doing. Across the country, no region is left behind. Those who think they should bring the subsidy back are liars. How will they pay for those commitments? How will you repair the roads? How will you maintain them? How will you function,” President Tinubu queried rhetorically, drawing loud applause and cheers from the crowd who agreed with his position on subsidy removal.
President Tinubu also pledged further support, assistance and incentives for small-scale farmers across the country through improved access to financing, agricultural mechanisation, irrigation facilities, extension services and market linkages, as part of his administration’s renewed drive to achieve food security, reduce food inflation and make Nigeria self-sufficient in food production.
“We will reward small-scale farmers. Interest-free loans for farmers are coming. Prosperity is coming. Food security will happen,” the President assured the farmers present at the rally, many of whom are beneficiaries of various federal government agricultural intervention programmes, adding that his administration places high premium on agriculture as the backbone of the nation’s economy and a major employer of labour.
Thanking the people of Jigawa State for their unwavering loyalty, steadfastness, massive support and consistent solidarity since his assumption of office, the President urged them to continue to support his administration and to participate actively, massively and peacefully in the forthcoming 2027 general elections by voting for APC candidates at all levels, from presidential to state assembly elections.
Before proceeding to the Township Stadium for the mega rally, President Tinubu had earlier commissioned several landmark projects executed by the Jigawa State Government in collaboration with the Federal Government, including the Bola Ahmed Tinubu Multi-Purpose Skills Acquisition Centre and the Renewed Hope Technical Services Centre, both aimed at empowering youths with vocational and technical skills.
He also virtually commissioned the newly completed three-kilometre dualised Old Police Station to Palace Road in Dutse, the state capital, a critical road project that is expected to ease traffic flow, enhance urban transportation and boost economic activities within the ancient city of Dutse and its environs, as part of his administration’s infrastructural renewal drive.
In addition, the President commissioned 400 brand new tractors and other modern agricultural equipment, implements and machinery procured by the Jigawa State Government to support mechanised farming, boost agricultural productivity, strengthen food sufficiency and food security, and create jobs for the teeming youths of the state who are interested in agribusiness.
In his welcome address at the rally, Governor Umar Namadi of Jigawa State commended President Tinubu’s numerous development initiatives, interventions and laudable projects in Jigawa State and across the entire Northern Nigeria, describing the President as a true friend of the North and a leader who has demonstrated uncommon love, concern and commitment to the development of the region.
He highlighted some of the key federal government projects in Jigawa State, including the Greater Hadejia Water Project, which he said is now about 60 per cent complete and will address the perennial water scarcity in the area, the Katsina-Maradi rail line which will boost trade and transportation, and various federal interventions in education, agriculture and social welfare programmes.
The governor particularly thanked President Tinubu for approving the establishment of Federal Colleges of Education in Dutse and Hadejia, two major educational institutions that will provide access to quality teacher education for thousands of youths in Jigawa State and neighbouring states, thereby improving the quality of education in the region.
Governor Namadi also specially lauded President Tinubu for fulfilling his promise to the late Emir of Dutse, Dr. Nuhu Muhammad Sunusi, during his 2023 presidential campaign to tackle the acute and perennial water shortage in Dutse and for approving the establishment of several federal educational institutions in the state, a promise he said the President has kept faithfully.
He also commended President Tinubu for establishing the Nigerian Education Loan Fund, NELFUND, from which thousands of Jigawa students in tertiary institutions have benefited, as well as the Conditional Cash Transfer programme and other social investment programmes that have brought succour, relief and hope to several indigent families, vulnerable groups and the less privileged in the state.
Governor Namadi, however, used the opportunity to request President Tinubu’s urgent intervention in the ecological and environmental challenges confronting Dutse and Hadejia areas, which he said require immediate federal government attention and intervention, as they have become enormous, devastating and insurmountable for the state government alone to handle due to limited resources.
Also speaking at the rally, Vice President Kashim Shettima reminded the people of Jigawa State of President Tinubu’s long-standing commitment, dedication and contributions to the welfare, progress and political development of Northern Nigeria, and called on them to continue supporting, praying for and standing by President Tinubu’s administration as it works to reposition Nigeria for greatness.
The Vice President recalled that Tinubu’s support, political sagacity and strategic alliance enabled the late President Muhammadu Buhari to win the 2015 and 2019 presidential elections, and also recalled that the President had at different times supported former Vice President Atiku Abubakar and Mallam Nuhu Ribadu, respectively, in their presidential quests, and called on the people to reciprocate that support by voting massively for the APC in 2027.
The Director General of the APC Presidential Campaign Council, Senator Abdulaziz Yari, in his remarks, reiterated President Bola Tinubu’s commitment to quality leadership, purposeful governance, national economic consolidation and advancing prosperity, growth and development for all Nigerians irrespective of tribe, religion or region, and challenged the opposition to come up with better ideas.
He challenged the opposition parties and their candidates to advance better, more credible and more sustainable socio-economic policies, programmes and alternatives than those being championed and implemented by the Tinubu administration, rather than engaging in divisive politics, hate speech, propaganda and campaigns of calumny aimed at misleading Nigerians and creating unnecessary tension in the polity.
Speaking on behalf of the Progressive Governors Forum, the Governor of Sokoto State, Dr. Ahmed Aliyu, chronicled previous critical political interventions, sacrifices and relationships that President Tinubu had with eminent men and leaders of Northern Nigerian extraction over the years, saying it was time for the North to reciprocate and support a dynamic, focused, determined and visionary leader like President Tinubu who has taken bold, courageous and difficult decisions that have now halted the nation’s drift towards the precipice.
The Deputy Director General of the APC Presidential Campaign Council and Governor of Yobe State, Mai Mala Buni, and the Special Adviser to the President on Political Affairs and Other Matters, Alhaji Ibrahim Masari, also took turns to commend President Tinubu’s purposeful, focused and result-oriented leadership, his bold reforms and his commitment to national unity, and urged party supporters to support the President and every other APC contestant in the forthcoming elections to enable the party to actualise its manifesto and promises to Nigerians.
Dignitaries at the well-attended rally included the Deputy Senate President, Senator Barau Jibrin, the Speaker of the House of Representatives, Rt. Hon. Tajudeen Abbas, APC governors from across the country, ministers, members of the National Assembly, former governors, captains of industry, traditional rulers, religious leaders and other political leaders and stakeholders from across the country who came to show solidarity with President Tinubu.
The rally, which was marked by pomp, pageantry, cultural displays and massive turnout of party supporters dressed in colourful APC attires, ended on a high note with President Tinubu promising to continue to work for the peace, unity, progress and prosperity of Nigeria and to ensure that no part of the country is left behind in his administration’s developmental agenda and renewed hope programme for all Nigerians.
The statement announcing the President’s activities in Jigawa State was signed by Bayo Onanuga, Special Adviser to the President on Information and Strategy, and dated November 10, 2026, with copies made available to journalists at the Presidential Villa, Abuja, and at the venue of the rally in Dutse, Jigawa State.
