President Muhammadu Buhari has been advised by Nigerians to take drastic measures to tackle the worsening spate of insecurity across the country, rather than give constant promises and excuses.
They lamented that there was nothing new in his New Year message, in which he promised to tackle the security challenges, adding that 2021 was an opportunity for the administration to right the wrongs.
They stated this in separate interviews with BusinessDay Sunday, while reacting to the New Year message of President Buhari to the nation on Friday in which he had promised to reorganise Nigeria’s security architecture to help address the incessant killings in various attacks across the country, while remaining silent on the performance of the service chiefs and calls for their removal.
Last year, Nigeria witnessed large scale wanton killing of its citizens with kidnapping and banditry becoming more rifts, while Boko Haram continued its terror and killings in Borno and several states in the North.
Agitations from political and ethnic leaders, the National Assembly and other stakeholders such as the Nigeria Governors’ Forum (NGF) for the President to replace the service chiefs have continued to be ignored.
The Presidency has instead insisted that the service chiefs stay in office for as long as President Buhari is satisfied with their performance.
But public commentator and lawyer, Ebun Adegoruwa, urged the President to rise up to the task and meet the expectations of Nigerians, by taking drastic measures to check the worsening insecurity in Nigeria because Nigerians were tired of promises.
“It is clear that the security situation is out of hand now, Matthew Kukah and the Sultan of Sokoto said the same thing some days ago, and they are religious leaders, so; I believe that their views should represent the views of Nigerians.
“It is glaring that the security situation is worsening; all that we have been hearing are promises and no action. We need action; enough of promises. This government must begin to act and show why it is elected to protect Nigerians which is the primary duty of any government according to the law.”
According to him, “The situation now is sad, you can’t travel anywhere in the country, nowhere is safe”.
This view was supported by the Lagos State chairman of the Alliance for Democracy (AD), Kola Ajayi who said that the President was only deceiving Nigerians because he would not achieve anything without sacking the service chiefs.
According to him, “There is nothing new in what Buhari said, this is what he has been saying even before he assumed office in 2015; what has changed? Now you cannot travel by road to North; there is nothing he can do with existing security chiefs. I said that last year.
“Nobody knows what is between them. With these men in office, there is nothing he can do, quote me again, he is helpless, imagine continuing to extend their stay in office despite Nigerians’ outcry”.
Also, Wale Ogunade, analyst and lawyer, said Nigerians were tired of promises and wanted decisive action from the President to deal with the spate of insecurity in the country.
“Right now, I am tired of promises, it is what we have been hearing, nothing is new; I doubt if much would change in the New Year,” Ogunade said.
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