Nigerians deserve clear plan on insecurity, not passing reference — Atiku

PAUL Ibe, Media Adviser to former Vice-President and presidential candidate of African Democratic Congress (ADC), Alhaji Atiku Abubakar, has faulted President Bola Ahmed Tinubu’s Independence Day broadcast for failing to adequately address insecurity.

Ibe, in a post on X on Saturday, said President Tinubu’s address was remarkable not only for what he said, but for what he avoided saying.

“Yes, he made fleeting references to ‘insecurity’ and thanked the security forces. But on the pervasive insecurity confronting Nigerians today – the killings, kidnappings, mass abductions and communities living in fear – there was no serious accounting, no assessment of the crisis and no clear explanation of what his government intends to do differently,” he said.

He said while the President painted a picture of a country supposedly marching towards prosperity, hundreds of Nigerians remain in captivity, farmers cannot safely access some of their farms, travellers continue to confront the threat of kidnapping on highways, and communities are attacked while families pay ransoms.

“You cannot talk seriously about prosperity while avoiding security. A farmer who cannot safely reach his farm cannot contribute to food security. A businessman afraid to travel cannot grow his business. Children who fear abduction cannot learn in peace,” Ibe said.

He said the President as Commander-in-Chief owes Nigerians a plain explanation on why insecurity persists, what has gone wrong, what measurable progress has been made and what will change.

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“Playing the ostrich cannot make the crisis disappear. The first responsibility of government is the protection of life and property. On an occasion as significant as Independence Day, Nigerians deserved more than a passing reference to one of the greatest threats to their daily lives,” he said.

He added that insecurity cannot be wished away, but must be confronted, accounted for and defeated.