Why Kaduna Deserves Security Beyond President Tinubu’ Visits
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By Salim Yunusa
It has barely been 24 hours since you graced our dear state with your presence, and Kaduna already misses you.
The last time you visited was 13 months ago, on 19 September 2025, when you attended the wedding of Nasirudeen Abdulaziz Yari, son of Senator Abdulaziz Yari, your 2027 re-election campaign Director-General. You also paid a condolence visit to the family of our late President Muhammadu Buhari. We remember.
Of course, the Nigerian Defence Academy held its convocation in September, graduating cadets who will serve in the Armed Forces. One might expect the Commander-in-Chief to meet these young officers, hear their concerns, and boost their morale. But we understand—there is a Vice-President for such occasions.
And regarding the Tudun Biri tragedy, we know your government sent a delegation after the military’s drone strike in December 2023. The people heard the condolences. Perhaps what they need now is a personal visit from their President, a renewed commitment to their safety, and reassurance that such a tragedy will not be repeated. But we shall not trouble you with that today.
Federal projects are in safe hands with Governor Uba Sani, who inspects them diligently. You even inaugurated a section of the Abuja–Kaduna–Zaria–Kano highway at Ranchers Bees Stadium. If that is not bringing governance to the people, I don’t know what is.
Mr President, we miss you already.
When Kaduna hosted the presidential campaign flag-off, it was an honour. Some suggested the choice was strategic, given APC’s loss here in 2023. We prefer to see it as proof of your love for us. And our governor did not disappoint.
Potholes were filled, roads painted, traffic lights repaired. The city received a hurried facelift that made us wonder if we had been living in a different Kaduna all along. Everywhere was clean, orderly, and ready for the distinguished visitor. Posters and billboards decorated the city, all for you.
Mr President, consider another visit in December. By then, we hope you will ride through newly completed roads and bridges, Rabah Road, the Nnamdi Azikiwe Bypass, the Barnawa Bridge, and more. Let us take you to Zaria, too, to show you the transformation of our ancient city.
Better still, drive from Abuja to Kaduna. By November 2026, the Abuja–Kaduna–Zaria–Kano highway may be completed. You could inspect the road yourself instead of inaugurating another section from a stadium.
Your visit brought a brief economic boom to Kaduna. Hotels were fully booked, restaurants made massive sales, car hires and ride-hailing services thrived, and printers enjoyed a windfall. Even roadside vendors, mama put sellers and girls hawking awara, made brisk sales to your supporters. Crowds poured in from Zamfara, Borno, Katsina, Kano, Abuja, and beyond. Private jets dotted the skyline, jeeps zoomed in and out, and the highway was as busy as Christmas.
You put Kaduna back on the map. We only hope visitors will continue to come when there is no presidential rally, to invest in our businesses, visit our tourist sites, and bring their families without waiting for a convoy.
There is one thing from your visit we would like you not to take back to Abuja: security.
For days, soldiers, police officers, and other personnel manned roads, covered strategic locations, and controlled movement. Law and order prevailed. People felt safe.
Yet this joy is complicated. Communities across Kaduna live with the fear of kidnappers and armed groups. Residents of Millennium City and villages at the fringes of the state wonder when the next attack will come.
Yesterday, we saw what coordinated security deployment looks like. We saw a city that could be secured when the occasion demanded it. Mr President, could some of that commitment remain after your departure? Could the personnel who made Kaduna feel safe be part of a sustained strategy to protect our communities?
Perhaps you could spend a week or two here during your annual leave. Not for another rally or ribbon-cutting, but simply to reassure us that our communities matter.
Mr President, Kaduna is more than a campaign ground, more than a convenient place to inaugurate a highway section, more than a city to be cleaned up for a distinguished visitor. It is home to millions of Nigerians who deserve functioning roads, reliable infrastructure, thriving businesses, and lasting security, whether or not a presidential visit is scheduled.
We are grateful you came. We enjoyed the activity, the commerce, the visitors, and above all, the reassurance of a heavily secured city. But now, please give us something to remember after the convoy has left.
Come back in December. Come back in January. Come back when there is no election to win and no campaign to flag off. Come back when the roads are ordinary, when the streets are quiet, and when our people are simply living their daily lives.
And when you do, Mr President, we hope Kaduna will not need to become a different city just to welcome you.
Dawo, dawo, Mr President. Kaduna misses you already.
Yours sincerely,
A concerned son of Kaduna
Salim Yunusa
