Former Social Democratic Party (SDP) presidential candidate in the 2023 general election, Chief Adewole Adebayo, has strongly criticised President Bola Ahmed Tinubu’s handling of Nigeria’s worsening insecurity, accusing the administration of following a pattern of leaders who allegedly exploit security crises for financial gains.
In a statement made public on Tuesday, Adebayo alleged that insecurity has become a convenient excuse for the misuse of public funds, stressing that the President should either take decisive military action against terrorist groups or step aside. According to him, Nigeria’s armed forces have the capacity to secure not only the country but the wider West African region, yet are unable to adequately protect even their own installations due to what he described as internal sabotage and systemic failures.
He argued that this contradiction is evidence that insecurity is being deliberately sustained as a pretext for corruption at the highest levels of government.
Adebayo also commented on the recent interest shown by former United States President, Donald Trump, in Nigeria’s security situation, expressing appreciation for Trump’s concern. However, he warned Nigerians against turning the issue into a political or religious debate, stressing that insecurity affects citizens across all regions, ethnic groups and religious backgrounds.
“There is no external figure, not even the Pope, that can afford to selectively intervene for only one part of Nigeria,” he said, adding that any international support must be for the benefit of the entire nation, not a particular group.
The former presidential candidate further insisted that the federal government has the capacity to make significant progress against insecurity within 30 days if it is genuinely committed to the task. He, therefore, urged the Tinubu administration to stop relying on foreign interest and instead take full responsibility for protecting the lives and property of Nigerians.
Addressing the issue of sovereignty, Adebayo argued that any government that fails to protect its citizens or violates international humanitarian laws risks losing the moral authority associated with sovereignty. He referenced past regional tensions, including the proposed military intervention in Niger, as examples of how African leaders disregard international norms when it suits them.
He concluded with a call for national unity, warning that a growing sense of victimhood across different parts of the country could spiral into a national catastrophe if not urgently addressed.
“The primary responsibility lies with Nigerians and their leaders,” Adebayo said. “We must unite beyond religion and ethnicity to end insecurity and restore peace in our land.”
