In the face of spiraling insecurity and other challenges across the country, President Muhammadu Buhari has promised to do everything humanly possible to overcome them. The president has also expressed his wish not to leave government as a failure. To achieve the objective, he has stated his readiness to make more changes in the security architecture of the country if necessary to turn things around in the fight against insecurity.
The president’s declaration was disclosed to newsmen last week by the National Security Adviser (NSA), Major-Gen. Babagana Monguno, after the National Security Council meeting in Abuja. The NSA revealed that the killings and the issue of hunger in the country, which he described as an emergency situation, were also dis- cussed at the meeting.
The President’s optimism to over- come the nation’s security challenges before leaving office in 2023 is in order. We appreciate his concerns for his countrymen and women. Although the president may mean well in his re- marks, he should do more to ensure that he would leave the country more secured than he met it in 2015, when he assumed office. Many Nigerians now believe that the security situation in the country now is worse than the situation in 2015. They even point out that Nigerians were better off in 2015 than now in all ramifications. It is good that the president does not want to leave office as a failure. But if he truly wants to leave office a hero, he must strive to crush the nation’s deteriorating insecurity and unite the country.
The general insecurity has threatened the corporate existence of Nigeria as a country and has even terrified the citizenry. It is public knowledge that the war against insecurity is far from being over. The recent security breach at the nation’s elite military school, the Nigerian Defence Academy (NDA), Kaduna, in which two officers were killed and one abducted and the worsening insecurity in Jos, Plateau State, are indications that the security challenges are not abating, contrary to earlier government’s position.
The other day, Governor Babagana Zulum of Borno State lamented that over 100,000 indigenes of the state had been killed since the outbreak of Boko Haram insurgency. There have also been killings and abductions in other parts of the country.
The climate of insecurity is scaring investors, causing capital flight and accounting for the sharp drop in Foreign Direct Investment (FDI) in the country. A recent data from the National Bureau of Statistics (NBS) and the Central Bank of Nigeria (CBN) indicated a drastic drop in FDI to its lowest level in over 11 years, crashing to $77.97 million in Q2 2021, compared to $154.76 million and $148.59 million recorded in the first quarter and Q2 2020 respectively.
While the nation’s insecurity predates Buhari’s administration, the buck stops at his desk. He came to power on the premise to correct the shortcomings of his predecessors. It is also necessary to remind him that his campaign for office centred on fighting insecurity, eradicating corruption and fixing the economy. To succeed, he must desist from blame game and face the challenges at hand.
The war against terror and general insecurity needs more pragmatic approach. It now seems that the terrorists are ahead of the security agencies. That narrative must change. The security chiefs may need to change tactics if the war must be won. The president should also review some of his policies and strategies in the prosecution of the war. All hands must be on deck to overcome our security challenges. The terrorists should no longer be treated with kid gloves.
Though the president’s tenure is less than two years, he can still use the remain- ing period to make appreciable impact. Apart from tackling insecurity, the president should also address poverty, hunger and unemployment, the major triggers of insecurity. Let the president walk his talk and put round pegs in round holes. He should also be open to good advice. In all, the success or otherwise of his presidency will largely depend on how he handles the crippling insecurity.