Presidency Launches Fierce Counterattack Against Obasanjo
The Nigerian Presidency has unleashed a strong response against former President Olusegun Obasanjo and other presidential aspirants, accusing them of hypocrisy and engaging in what it called pseudo statesmanship. This confrontation erupted following recent criticisms directed at President Bola Tinubu's handling of the country's security challenges.
In a statement released on Sunday through his official X account, Special Adviser to the President on Media and Public Communication, Sunday Dare, described attempts to portray the Tinubu administration as incapable of protecting Nigerians as ignoble. He emphasized that these criticisms deliberately ignore the complex reality that Nigeria faces a layered, fast-evolving transnational terrorist threat.
Historical Failures and Current Realities
Dare pointedly reminded critics that those now commenting publicly on security matters were the same individuals who looked away while terrorism quietly took root during their own administrations. He asserted that Nigerians are too knowledgeable to be misled by such revisionist narratives.
The presidential aide specifically addressed suggestions that Nigeria should heavily rely on foreign governments for internal security support, describing this proposal as capitulation, not statesmanship. He challenged any former leader advancing such advice to first confront their own failure to act decisively when early extremist cells were forming across the country.
In a significant historical revelation, Dare noted that Boko Haram's ideological foundations and earliest camps were incubated during Obasanjo's civilian presidency. He warned that what could have been stopped as a fringe sect was allowed to transform into a violent insurgency and later become a regional franchise aligned with global jihadist movements.
Tinubu's Multi-Dimensional Security Approach
Dare defended President Tinubu's security strategy, maintaining that the administration has deployed a clear, multidimensional approach suited to the evolving threat environment. He outlined both kinetic and non-kinetic elements of this strategy:
- Upgraded military capabilities and intensified intelligence-led operations
- Disruption of terrorist logistics networks
- Retaking and holding of contested territory
- Restoring governance in underserved areas
- Economic stabilization programs
- Deepened counter-radicalization efforts
- Building community trust to deny terrorists local support
The presidential aide emphasized that Tinubu's whole-of-government, whole-of-nation approach remains central to defeating terrorism, noting that terrorists thrive in division while Nigeria defeats them through unity.
Sovereignty and International Cooperation
While acknowledging Nigeria's continued cooperation with allies including the United States, Dare insisted the government would not outsource its sovereignty or raise a white flag because someone who once had the chance lost his nerve.
He issued a stern warning that disparaging comments from former leaders risk emboldening violent extremists, handing them psychological victories at a time when the nation is consolidating gains against terrorism.
A real statesman offers support, not soundbites, Dare declared, adding that if Obasanjo truly wishes to help, he should acknowledge past failures that allowed terrorists to gain a foothold and support ongoing efforts rather than undermine them.
The Presidency affirmed that under President Tinubu, Nigeria will defeat terrorism through strength, unity and a coordinated whole-of-government strategy. The administration will not be distracted by what it termed selective amnesia wrapped in elder-statesmanship, nor will it allow those who midwifed Nigeria's early security failures to rewrite history.
