In a headline-making move, President Bola Tinubu has declared that the days of government bigwigs flaunting police escorts are over,unless, of course, he says otherwise. In a “decisive” but highly controversial policy shift, Tinubu has handed himself the exclusive right to approve police protection for ministers and government officials, sending ripples through Nigeria’s power elite.

Addressing his cabinet with dramatic flair, Tinubu announced that the Inspector-General of Police (IGP) is now on strict orders: no more police escort handouts to VIPs. From now on, requests will go through Tinubu himself,no exceptions. Departments, ministries, and agencies must toe the line or face the music.

“If you have any problem of security because of the nature of your assignment, please contact the IGP and get my clearance,” Tinubu reportedly told his top officials. This move, he claims, is about “discipline and accountability,” condemning supposed abuses of police escorts as undermining the country’s fight against real threats like kidnapping and terrorism.

But Tinubu isn’t leaving his colleagues totally exposed. The Minister of Interior has been tasked with scrambling to replace lost police escorts with civil defence officers, in a game of security musical chairs that critics say could leave some officials less protected than before. Meanwhile, police officers are being “redirected” to frontline roles, in what some see as a hasty reshuffling.

In another headline grabber, Tinubu has unleashed a new committee, led by the National Security Adviser and the DSS, to review the nation’s entire security structure. The committee’s vague “mandate”? Strengthen intelligence and “mobilise all the forces we can utilise.” What exactly this means for ordinary Nigerians remains to be seen.

Taking his security push further, Tinubu has called for arming forest guards in areas plagued by banditry and kidnappings. He wants the NSA to act immediately,raising questions about oversight, training, and the risk of further violence.

But the President isn’t stopping at security. In a move likely to raise eyebrows, he’s passed the thorny herder-farmer conflict to Vice President Shettima, instructing the NEC to identify grazing reserves for conversion into ranches and livestock settlements. The goal, Tinubu says, is a miraculous transformation of the livestock sector and an end to rural violence. But with land rights squarely in state hands, many view this directive as more grandstanding than actionable policy.

With cameras rolling and headlines spinning, President Tinubu’s latest flurry of directives is being touted as a bold new era of reform and accountability. But critics question whether these dramatic announcements will deliver results,or are simply a high-profile performance aimed at reassuring a nation weary of insecurity and political promises.