Nigeria’s defence minister told to resign over rising insecurity

Nigeria’s Minister of Defence, Mohammed Badaru, has come under fire over the country’s worsening security situation, with calls for his resignation from security consultant and public affairs analyst, Opialu Fabian.

Fabian, while praising President Bola Tinubu’s commitment to fighting insecurity—highlighting the highest-ever budgetary provision for security—criticised the President’s appointees, saying they have not done enough to address the problem.

Speaking during an interview programme titled Politics Tonight on TVC, and monitored by TribuneOnline, Fabian said: “The President has done well. The budgetary provision is the highest in history, meaning the President has done well with the will to fight insecurity,” Fabian said on TVC News.

“However, these appointees have not quite done well. The President gave the security agents marching orders to end insecurity, but it doesn’t work like that. Insecurity is in stages – this has grown to this level due to negligence of past leaders.”

Fabian specifically criticised the Minister of Defence, Mohammed Badaru, saying that the call for self-help by former Minister of Defence, Theophilus Yakubu Danjuma, is a vote of no confidence in the current Minister’s ability to tackle insecurity.

“If TY Danjuma is calling for self-help to end insecurity, that means he has passed a vote of no confidence on the current Minister of Defence,” he added.

“This is a clear indication that the Minister is not doing enough to address the security challenges facing the country.”

ALSO READ: Think global, leverage fashion to promote Africa, stakeholders urge entrepreneurs

Fabian further criticised the Minister’s intelligence-gathering capabilities, stating that they were not adequate.

“Intelligence gathering is a critical aspect of national security, and the Minister’s inability to effectively gather and utilize intelligence has contributed to the current security challenges facing the country.”

Given the Minister’s performance, Fabian urged him to step aside and resign.
“The Minister should thank Nigerians and the President for the opportunity to serve and step aside.

“It’s clear that he is not fit for the job, and his continued presence in the position will only exacerbate the security challenges facing the country.”

Fabian attributed the country’s insecurity to leadership issues and called for a restructuring of the security architecture to reflect the dynamics and peculiarities of the situation.

“Our Armed Forces have done well over the years. However, they are suffering from leadership issues. The security architecture must be rejig to suit the dynamics and peculiarity,” Fabian said.

“Benue and Plateau state governments need to take a more drastic approach to addressing the root causes of insecurity, rather than just treating the symptoms.

“The governments have not done enough because they are looking at the crisis from a surface level. There is a need for a more comprehensive approach that addresses the underlying issues driving the conflict.”

ALSO READ TOP STORIES FROM NIGERIAN TRIBUNE