President Bola Tinubu has told state governors to stop building flyovers where there is no real traffic problem, urging them instead to spend on roads and security access in areas that need it most.
He made the remark in Abuja on Thursday while receiving traditional rulers from Oyo State, led by the Olubadan of Ibadanland, Oba Rashidi Ladoja, at the State House.
EDITOR’S PICKS
Speaking directly to Ladoja, a former Oyo governor, Tinubu said state allocations have grown more than four times since both men governed their states.
He said this extra money means governors no longer need to borrow to pay salaries, and pensioners are now being paid. His advice was blunt: governors should build roads and artery networks that improve people’s daily lives and help security agencies reach troubled areas, rather than flyovers that solve no real problem.
A Familiar Complaint, From an Unusual Source
Nigerians have long complained that state governments favour showy projects over basic needs. Flyovers, in particular, have become a symbol of this. They look impressive in commissioning photos and campaign posters, but many are built in places with light traffic, while roads linking farms, markets and villages remain untarred or impassable.
What makes Tinubu’s comment notable is who is saying it.
As Lagos governor from 1999 to 2007, he oversaw major infrastructure works, including flyovers, in a state where heavy traffic actually justified them.
His warning now is not that flyovers are always wrong, but that they are being copied elsewhere without the traffic numbers to justify them. That is a fair distinction, and one state governments should take seriously.
The Money Argument
Tinubu’s point about allocations is worth checking. Federal allocations to states have indeed risen sharply since 2023, largely due to the removal of the petrol subsidy and reforms to the foreign exchange market, which freed up more federal revenue for sharing. States that once struggled to pay salaries have reported healthier finances in the past two years.
But more money does not automatically mean better spending. If anything, Tinubu’s remark is an admission that some governors, despite the windfall, are still choosing projects for visibility rather than impact. A flyover commissioned with fanfare draws more attention than a rural road that quietly changes how farmers move their goods to market. The president’s warning is really about priorities, not just resources.
Security and Access
The link Tinubu drew between roads and security is also important. He tied the call for better roads to the ability of security agencies to reach remote areas, and spoke separately about strengthening forest guards and pushing for state police.
In parts of Nigeria facing banditry and kidnapping, poor roads have slowed troop movement and rescue operations. Better rural roads are not just a comfort; they are a security tool.
A Message That Needs Follow-Through
The bigger question is whether this message changes anything. Tinubu has no direct constitutional power to stop a state governor from building a flyover; that decision rests with elected state governments. His comment works more as public pressure and political signalling than as policy.
For it to matter, it needs to shape how states plan and report their budgets, and how citizens and lawmakers hold governors accountable for infrastructure choices. Traditional rulers, whom Tinubu asked to help pass on the message, can add local pressure, but they too lack formal power over state budgets.
FURTHER READING
Still, the president has named a problem many Nigerians already recognise: infrastructure spending that photographs well but does little for ordinary life. Whether governors listen will show up not in speeches, but in what gets built next.
Philip Ibitoye is a Special Correspondent with EKO HOT BLOG. Click here to find daily analysis and critical insight on trending issues in Lagos and other parts of Nigeria.
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