National Security Adviser (NSA), Nuhu Ribadu, on Thursday, admitted that security wise, his principal inherited a “tough period” from the Muhammadu Buhari government, despite rebuttals by the latter.
In his farewell speech, Buhari had told citizens: “Our battle to ensure that all Nigerians live in a safe and secure environment has achieved considerable results. As I complete my term in office, we have been able to reduce the incidences of banditry, terrorism, armed robbery and other criminal activities considerably.”
The former president added: “I am confident that I am leaving office with Nigeria better in 2023 than in 2015.
But while speaking on the security situation in the country at the ongoing 19th All Nigeria Editors’ Conference in Uyo, Ribadu said: “We have given Nigeria to President Bola Tinubu to manage for us. In the last five months, I have been by his side and seen how things are. We inherited a tough period. We appeal for patience and understanding. I appeal to you for support. We are going through tough times. It requires all of us to come together.”
He said: “Let me start with the Niger Delta. At the time we took over, crude oil production stood at 1.1mbd. Today, crude oil production is over 1.7mbd. We have witnessed three weeks without any incident of security challenge in the Niger Delta. This is the first time since 1993, but we don’t talk. In the South East, when we took over last year, we had 46 police stations attacked. Today, we don’t have a single one.”
The NSA was, however, optimistic, saying: “It is not going to be for too long. It is a matter of time. It will be better,” he said.
This came as presidential candidate of Labour Party (LP) in the 2023 elections, Peter Obi, faulted remarks by Ribadu about the Buhari government.
Ribadu, on Monday, had lamented that the Tinubu administration inherited a bankrupt country from the Buhari leadership.
In a series of posts on X (formerly known as Twitter), yesterday, Obi, a former governor of Anambra State, said: “One major characteristic of responsible governance is transparency and strict accountability. This demands that the government disclose exactly the degree of deficit they inherited. What is inherited should be disclosed to enable the public to know where we are and where we are headed.”
Obi, who said that the previous APC government made a similar claim in 2015 against its Peoples Democratic party predecessor, added: “They took our debt profile from N12.6 trillion in 2015 to N87 trillion in 2023 when they left office, without improving on any indices of development: security, education, health, and poverty eradication.
“Instead, the condition of the nation on every development index got worse, leading to the current sad state. Nigerians know things are bad, and they experience it daily. What they now want to hear regularly are measurable and verifiable steps to improve the situation.”
Meanwhile, lawmakers have turned back the representatives of service chiefs, insisting their superiors must appear on November 21 as summoned.
Speaker of the House of Representatives, Tajudeen Abbas, said this after receiving the officers at plenary, yesterday.
Abbas commended the representatives for appearing at the chamber but he urged them to convey the message to the chiefs, who are required to be present at 11:00 a.m. on the given date.The House had summoned the top echelons of the military for a debate on security challenges in the country.
The lawmakers, however, were displeased that the service chiefs failed to attend personally.
Deputy Speaker, Benjamin Kalu, affirmed that the constitution empowers the House to invite any person, not only for the purpose of investigation, but also for dialogue.
He said the service chiefs should have presented themselves before the House, rather than send representatives.
“It is not satisfactory that they are not here in person. I want to move that these sectoral engagements be suspended until the service chiefs come to address us personally,” he said.
“Nigeria faces numerous simultaneous security crises. These include Boko Haram in the northeast; activities of bandits and kidnappers in the northwest; activities of gunmen in the southeast and south-south, and other forms of criminality like armed robbery, herders/farmers clashes and cross-border crimes,” said Senator Abdulaziz Musa Yar’adua (APC, Katsina Central).
Yar’adua spoke on a motion he sponsored, titled ‘Urgent need for the improvement of coordination and synergy between Nigerian security forces and agencies to help strengthen and win the fight against insecurity in the nation’.
Reeling out statistics on insecurity, Yar’adua said: “We are aware of the kidnapping of Major General R. C. Duru (retired) in Owerri, Imo State, on September 27, 2023, by members of Indigenous People of Biafra (IPOB); the nefarious acts of the proscribed outfit; and the much-touted ‘unknown gunmen’ in the eastern part of the country.
“Troops of Operation Safe Haven (OPSH) and Operation Hakorin Damisa IV from October 9 to 16, 2023, neutralised bandit/armed robbers and arrested 59 suspects, in connection with kidnapping, armed robbery, cattle rustling, railway vandalism, gunrunning, illegal mining, and recovered arms/ammunition and illicit drugs.
“Just recently on October 20, 2023, bandits in their numbers raided Danmusa town, the headquarters of Danmusa Local Council of Katsina State, killed seven people, injured 10 others, and kidnapped a yet-to-be ascertained number of people. Furthermore, the bandits also attacked the people of Wurma, Tamawa and Dadawa villages in Kurfi Local Council, killing people and rustling cattle.”
In a related development, the chairperson, Senate Committee on Women Affairs, Ireti Kingibe, said: “The military can do better than they have been doing in the past. I know we are all trying to do better. That’s why we are here. We have to promote diversity and inclusivity within the security forces, encourage the recruitment of more women, promote their professional development and leadership within the security forces.”
She spoke during a sensitisation workshop for senior officers of security agencies and relevant committees of the National Assembly, held at National Defence College, Abuja.
According to her, “when we increase women inclusiveness in everything, Nigeria would get it right in many ways politically, economically, security wise and everywhere. We say we are the giant of Africa; we need to start thinking like the giant that we are in everything.”
