The Presidency has insisted that President Bola Tinubu remains unwavering in his mission to secure every part of Nigeria, stressing that his administration is confronting terrorism with strength, unity, and a coordinated national security strategy.
Presidential spokesperson Sunday Dare, in a statement released via his verified X account, stated that “Under Tinubu, Nigeria will defeat terrorism.” He urged Nigerians to remain united, adding that the president’s approach is a whole-of-government effort aimed at restoring lasting peace across the country.
Dare dismissed recent comments by a former president and what he described as “perennial presidential aspirants” who suggested that the Tinubu administration is unable to protect citizens. He argued that such remarks were misleading, dangerous, and rooted in “selective amnesia wrapped in elder-statesmanship.”
According to him, Nigeria is facing a complex, multilayered terrorist network that includes ISIS- and al-Qaeda-linked groups operating across the Sahel, violent extremist cells disguised as bandits, cross-border criminal gangs, and entrenched ideological insurgents exploiting ungoverned spaces. These groups, he said, collaborate and share intelligence with the singular aim of destabilising the Nigerian state.
Dare insisted that all patriots must unite behind the government instead of amplifying alarms, emphasizing that the true enemies of the state must be called what they are—terrorists.
He further stated that terrorism in Nigeria did not suddenly emerge under the Tinubu presidency, noting that the foundational cells of Boko Haram took root during former President Olusegun Obasanjo’s administration due to weak and indecisive action at the time. What began as a preventable sect, he said, evolved into a full-fledged insurgency and a regional franchise linked to global jihadist movements.
Describing past criticisms as “reckless,” Dare argued that it is ironic for leaders under whom terrorism germinated to now lecture the country on security. He said President Tinubu is currently confronting not just a local crisis but a full-spectrum threat—internal, external, and transnational.
The spokesperson highlighted Tinubu’s strategy, which blends kinetic military force with intelligence-driven operations and non-kinetic measures, including governance restoration in underserved communities, counter-radicalisation programmes, economic interventions, and efforts to build trust with local populations.
He noted that Nigeria will continue working with allies like the United States but will not outsource its internal security or surrender to pressure from individuals trying to rewrite history.
Dare warned that when past leaders publicly undermine the country’s capability, they inadvertently hand psychological victory to terrorists still attacking citizens. “A real statesman offers support, not soundbites,” he said.
He urged former President Obasanjo to acknowledge the failures that allowed terrorism to emerge under his leadership and to contribute positively to ongoing national security efforts instead of discrediting an administration addressing challenges across economic, security, and infrastructural sectors.
