SANWO-OLU urges Nigerians to embrace innovation and accountability.

Wednesday, November 12, 2025 - Lagos State Governor, Babajide Sanwo-Olu, has expressed optimism that Nigeria can overcome its security challenges through collaborative efforts, good governance, and reforms that empower states and local governments to play a more active role in national development.

The governor made the remarks on Tuesday during a special lecture in Kaduna, commemorating Nigeria’s 65th Independence Anniversary.

The event, organised by the Arewa Think Tank, attracted a distinguished audience, including former governors, ministers, traditional leaders, academics, and development experts.

Speaking on the theme “National Security, Unity and Development,” Sanwo-Olu emphasised that addressing insecurity, poverty, and hunger requires effective local policing, economic reforms, and infrastructure projects that connect rural and urban communities.

He advocated for decentralised governance and greater grassroots autonomy as crucial steps toward national stability and unity.

“The time has come for Nigeria to embrace state-driven innovation and accountability. We must strengthen local governance and ensure that every Nigerian feels the benefits of democracy.

“Together, we will overcome poverty, hunger, and, as President Bola Tinubu has assured, terrorism,” Sanwo-Olu said.

The governor lauded Nigeria’s diversity, describing it as a source of strength rooted in the nation’s rich cultural and religious pluralism.

He encouraged leaders to draw inspiration from the vision of the country’s founding fathers, noting that unity and reform remain essential for progress.

Sanwo-Olu also praised President Tinubu’s Renewed Hope Agenda for increasing allocations to states and local governments, reforming tax policies, and enhancing financial autonomy for local authorities, measures that complement Lagos State’s THEMES+ agenda, which focuses on infrastructure, human capital development, inclusion, and sustainable growth.

He urged Nigerians to embrace unity as the nation’s greatest strength, stressing: “Our diversity is not a weakness but a strength. With collective will, Nigeria will overcome insecurity and all challenges that lie ahead.”