Worried about the level of insecurity across the country, a support group of the ruling All Progressives Congress(APC) has renewed its call on President Muhammadu Buhari, to immediately sack the National Security Adviser(NSA), Major Gen. Babagana Monguno (rtd) and all the service chiefs.
The group said the sack of Monguno, and service chiefs, as well as the entire restructuring of the nation’s security architecture, has become imperative given the fate of the country in terms of security at the moment.
The APC group, operating under the aegis of APC Justice and Unity Forum (APC-JUF), expressed its position in a statement, Thursday, signed by its National President, Dr Muhammadu Kabiru, who tasked the president to hearken to the demand of a majority of Nigerian citizens who it noted, believe that those entrusted with the security of the country have failed woefully.
It appealed to the APC National Chairman, Senator Abdullahi Adamu, state governors, Senate President and the Speaker, House of Representatives, respectively, to prevail on the president to act fast by rejigging the nation’s entire security apparatus, in order to save Nigeria from total collapse.
The APC-JUF said Nigerians were waiting impatiently to express their anger against their party at the coming 2023 general elections hence the president must act swiftly to their demands to save their party from the looming electoral defeat.
“Given the worsening insecurity bedevilling our country in the face of huge sums of money that has been so far injected into our security forces without results, we, the members of the APC support group under the aegis of APC Justice and Unity Forum, wishes to demand that new hands be tried for fresh ideas and strategies.
“To this end, there is an urgent need for security architecture reforms, starting with the sacking of the National Security Adviser, Major Gen. Babagana Monguno (Rtd), and all the service chiefs”, the group said.
According to the group, “If our dear President is serious about conducting the 2023 general elections, serious attention must be given to tackling security challenges ahead of the much anticipated national exercise.
“Each passing day he keeps the current service chiefs in office, the very foundation of Nigeria continues to crack due to worsening insecurity,” the APC support group claimed.
The political group wondered “why the President has refused to hear the cry of all Nigerians on the need to sack the NSA and the service chiefs who have failed in all ramifications to restore security in Nigeria in spite of the support accorded them by the Buhari-led federal government.”
Why are they untouchable? Why does the president prefer these individuals to the entire country? It fumed.
The group said the president was being wrongly advised by the security managers, else he would have known the reality on the ground.
“The reality on the ground is that our country especially the North, where the President comes from, is in a very bad shape, the first of its kind since the history of Nigeria.
“We wish to make it clear to the president that the current insecurity has dwindled the chances of our party by 70% in the forthcoming general elections and if something is not done urgently before campaigns start, Nigerians may vent their anger against our party at the polls, the result of which would be regrettable,” it said.
While noting that, “We are aware that tackling this insecurity is not rocket science”, the group said the problem required “just genuine commitment and professionalism.”
“With committed and hard-working officers, the insecurity can be surmounted in weeks or few months.
“The reality in Nigeria is that the masses have reached their melting point due to insecurity and they may vent their anger soon if nothing is done urgently,” the group reiterated.
“We, therefore, call on the National Chairman of our great party, the APC, governors, the Senate President and the Speaker of House of Representatives, to as a matter of urgent national importance, advise the president to immediately rejig the security architecture in the interest of Nigeria and the fortune of our great party in the 2023 general elections,” the statement further read.
Recall that the group had on July 27, 2022, issued a similar statement where it called on President Buhari not only to sack NSA Monguno and the service chiefs but also the restructure the entire security architecture.
Kabiru had explained in the statement that his group’s position was the fallout of a meeting it earlier held in Abuja earlier, to review the state of the nation, especially as it relates to the security of lives and property in the country.
“Given the antecedents of the terrorists which we as laymen in security have already known, those saddled with securing our nation would have known better that the terrorists mean business and would have strengthened intelligence and coordinated their agencies to prevent the frequent attacks on citizens and critical national infrastructure.”
“These bold and daring activities of the terrorists in Abuja and other areas across the country without prior knowledge of our security services have shown that our intelligence failure is obvious and given this situation, we think the best thing for the president to do now is to relieve the NSA of his position and try another security expert with fresh ideas,” the group had said.
The group which urged the president to consider another person for the Office of the NSA on merit, commitment and track record and not on ethnic or religious backgrounds, noted that the country had deteriorated in its security management under Monguno.
To avert further collapse, the Forum, therefore, urged President Buhari to dismiss Monguno and appoint someone with the needed capacity, competence and courage to put the nation’s security architecture on the right path.
It reminded President Buhari that his pledge to tackle insecurity was part of the reasons Nigerians voted for him and it is a travesty that a mere appointee of his has made him look this bad before the nation.
“At a time when the country most needed competence, Monguno has proven to be lacking in understanding of the current issues facing the country and his inability to galvanize and coordinate strategic actions that will see to the end of insecurity is one that should now be a source of worry for Nigerians.
“It is on the strength of the foregoing that our forum, APCJUF hereby demands that something must give way and that is that President Muhammadu Buhari immediately sacks Babagana Monguno as the National Security Adviser (NSA) to enable those with the needed capacity, competence and courage occupy the position to, without any further delay, put the nation’s security architecture on the right path,” the statement read.
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