Happy New Year.

I hope the year has begun gently for you and your loved ones.

I started this year reading The Year of Magical Thinking, a book gifted to me by my son, Tayo. It is a tender reflection on grief — how it arrives suddenly, how it disorients even the strongest among us, and how slowly, stubbornly, the work of rebuilding begins. The writer says, “Grief turns out to be a place none of us know until we reach it.” I paused when I read that line because it is not only true of individuals, it feels true of our nation.

Nigeria today is a country in mourning, even if we seldom name it that way.
We are grieving lives lost — to violence, disaster and neglect.
We are grieving communities uprooted, families displaced, futures interrupted.

We are grieving institutions we hoped would protect us but cannot carry the weight placed upon them.

In quiet moments, we are grieving the Nigeria we expected to become.

Grief expresses itself differently in each of us. For some people it brings exhaustion. For others, anger. For many, a sense of helplessness. And as a people, we are navigating all of these emotions at once. But grief also presents a choice. It can weaken resolve, or it can sharpen it. Here in Oyo State, we choose resolve.

The recent security incursions we have witnessed — including the tragic killing of National Park Service Forest Guard officers in Oriire LGA — remind us painfully that insecurity is not abstract. It is real, it is violent, and it demands vigilance.

While we do not command the national security architecture, we will not stand idle while our people are threatened. Our administration continues to provide operational support to all security agencies working on our soil — tactical logistics, local intelligence, sustained funding for Amotekun, and coordination across agencies. These are actions taken daily.

We do this work with clear eyes. Our security agents — whether police, military, Amotekun or other federal security agencies — carry burdens heavier than most of us will ever know. They are parents, siblings and neighbours who leave home each morning unsure what the day may bring. As they lead the charge, they deserve not only our cooperation but our prayers. Let us hold them up — the fallen, the wounded, the serving and the families waiting anxiously for safe return.

And as a government, we will continue to stand with them — not in word, but in commitment, coordination and support.

Grief may have visited our country, but despair is not a strategy. The work of rebuilding — whether personal or national — begins with small steps carried out consistently. We will continue strengthening security, investing in infrastructure, supporting livelihoods, widening opportunity for our young people and governing with steadiness, not theatrics.

May this be a year where we grieve honestly, rebuild courageously and hope deliberately.

And may our shared resolve lead us closer to the Nigeria we long for.

Thank you for your trust and continued support.