Abbas: Nigerians won’t be talking about insecurity in next four years

Tajudeen Abbas, speaker of the house of representatives, says President Bola Tinubu is committed to stamping insecurity in the country.

The nation has witnessed an uptick in banditry, kidnappings for ransom and a resurgence in terrorist activities in recent weeks.

But speaking on Sunday at an event organised by the office of the national youth leader of the All Progressives Congress (APC) in Abuja, Abbas said Tinubu’s administration will ensure Nigerians no longer worry about their security. 

“There’s no country in the world that can achieve any meaningful progress without adequate security,” Abbas said.

“The president and the national assembly, I’m sure if you observe, have worked very hard to put non-kinetic measures in place to improve security around the country.

“Like my own state (Kaduna), just two weeks ago, the UK ambassador to Nigeria gave my governor (senator Uba Sani) an award for the improved security within the state.

“I believe within the next two years, and certainly the next four years of this administration, God willing, we will no longer be talking about insecurity because the government will do whatever is necessary to ensure that we create — more than any other thing — the enabling environment that will mitigate and prevent insecurity.”

‘INCREASED BUDGETARY PROVISIONS FOR EDUCATION, HEALTH’ 

Abbas said the country will witness a tremendous increase in its annual budget, citing the tax reforms, which are expected to improve revenue generation.

”I want to assure you that this present administration is doing its best. If you look at the historical figures in budgetary provisions particularly for education and for health, you will see that there has been a reasonable appreciation of the figures that we have recorded in the last two budgets,” Abbas said.

“One thing I want you to go home with is that Mr president and the national assembly have been able to cross a major hurdle that has been bedevilling our budgets. And what is that? Paucity of revenue. If you remember, the 2025 budget was increased significantly. But even with that, we are not where we ought to be.

”But the good news today is that both the national assembly and Mr president have come up with a revolutionary initiative that, within the next one to two years, we will substantially increase the revenue profile of Nigeria several-fold.

“And that is the tax reform initiative brought by Mr president. Once it comes into effect, I sincerely believe that Nigeria’s budget will improve at a minimum by five times what we have today. And that will be the time when we will say we can look at sector by sector, agency by agency, to give them what they require.

“But as of now, the revenue we have is simply inadequate to satisfy any agency. And that is why we have what is called the envelope system — to make do with whatever is given to you.

“But I assure you that, with Mr president in the driver’s seat, that era will soon come to pass. That will be the time we can provide for each agency what they actually require, and that will be the time we can start talking about what the international standard is, what they are supposed to get as against what they are getting today?”

‘TINUBU IS MY MENTOR’

Abbas described Tinubu as his mentor, saying their relationship spanned over 40 years.

“I have so many role models. Asiwaju is one of them, definitely because of his antecedents in being able to support people right from the time he was a senator to governor,” Abbas said.

“And I have seen him with a set of people over a journey of 40 years, and he is still with them. Not too many Nigerians — not too many — will be able to sustain relationships for such a very long time. So, he is my role model as far as that is concerned.”

Abbas added that the national assembly will give Tinubu the support needed to engender development.