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By Iheanyi Chukwudi
National Security Adviser, Mallam Nuhu Ribadu, has said that the crises the present administration inherited from the previous government will not disappear overnight.
Consequently, he has appealed to Nigerians to be patient with President Bola Tinubu's administration, which according to him, inherited serious active security challenges capable of bringing the country to its knees.
Ribadu, who spoke on Thursday in Uyo, Akwa Ibom State, at the ongoing 19th Annual Nigerian Editors Conference with the theme, ‘Stimulating economic growth, technological advancement, role of the media,’ cited the Boko Haram insurgency in the North East, militancy and oil theft in the Niger Delta region, insecurity in the South East and banditry in the North West, as examples of the security challenges.
The NSA who was a former Chairman of the Economic and Financial Crimes Commission (EFCC), while assuring that there had been a lot of improvement in the security challenges confronting the country, solicited the cooperation of Nigerians in the Federal Government's effort at eliminating all forms of insecurity in the country.
The latest complaint of Ribadu about former President Muhammadu Buhari's administration came few days after he lamented that Tinubu’s government inherited a bankrupt country.
He had on Monday told participants at the Chief of Defence Intelligence Annual Conference 2023 in Abuja that the revenue generated by the Tinubu administration was being used to repay “what was taken from the country.
It could be recalled that Buhari's administration was reported to have spent more than N10 trillion on subsidy for Premium Motor Spirit, popularly called petrol, just as it was also reported in June that the previous administration borrowed N56.32 trillion between 2016 and 2022, a period of seven years.
Also, President Tinubu on August 1, in a nationwide broadcast, revealed that the Federal Government had saved N1 trillion in the two months (June and July) since the removal of the fuel subsidy on May 29.
However, Ribadu's presentation at Uyo, reads in parts, “By June 1, 2023, when we took over the country we have serious active security challenges, serious ones Even one alone will undermine seriously management of the country."
“We have Boko Haram which is 15 years now ongoing. Militancy in the Niger Delta has been on for many years, banditry and kidnapping, especially within northern Nigeria in the North-West."
“And unfortunately, that is still a little going on in the South-East. These four massive problems, each one is capable of bringing us to our own knees. All of them are very active.
At the time we took over, like last year, we used to have a minimum of 1,200 or more violent deaths as a result of criminal activities.’’
“We are all in this together, as a National Security Adviser, you want to hear about national security. We have been there about five months, a few days into office. We have given Nigeria to President Bola Tinubu to manage it for us."
“In the last five months, I have been there by his side and have seen how things were when we started and how things are now and hopefully the direction we are going is okay."
“We inherited a tough period. We appeal for patience and understanding. It’s tough times and that is the reality. We are not condemning anyone but that is the truth. Those who are in charge must say the truth, say it as it is, and then hopefully things will be better for you.
“Like I said, my coming (here) is to identify with you. I also appeal to you for support. We are going through tough times. It requires all of us to come together. We are all in it together. It is not going to be for too long. Is a matter of time, it will be better.’’
Trumpeting the ‘achievements’ of his principal, Tinubu, the NSA said, “Let me start with the Niger Delta; at the time we took over, the production of crude oil was 1.1 million barrels per day. Today, crude oil production is over 1.7 mbd.
“We have witnessed three weeks without any incidence of security challenges in the Niger Delta. This is the first time since 1993, that we don’t talk."
“In the South-East, we had 46 police stations attacked. We had people who were not indigenous to the country attacked, and killed. Today, we don’t have a single one."
“In the last two months, not a single person has been killed through the violent attack in the South-East. We don’t talk. The leadership we have in our country understands things a bit better. Work more, talk less.”
On positive developments in the national security architecture, the NSA noted that the stay-at-home restrictions and the bloodshed in the South-East had ceased.
Ribadu however, insisted that collective effort was required to tame the insecurity scarring the northern part of the country.
He said, “Don’t allow insecurity to be part of you for long, build your capacities, and security systems. We allowed insecurity to last for a good 15 years. In the North-East, people were not able to go to their farms or markets. These are ordinary people in the villages who have no money."
“The situation, especially in northern Nigeria, is challenging, with a rise in violent criminal activity. We need collective efforts to address this issue. The security forces and hospitals are dealing with life-altering tragedies. Education and health are hampered by these challenges.
“In the last month, no case of insecurity has been reported in the North-East, the same with banditry. Kidnappings have been on the rise, with victims facing prolonged detention.
About 600 people were kidnapped, some of them kept for long in the North-West, and they have been released. While there’s progress, much work remains. We need to address these issues collectively.
“Today, I can tell you that you travel from Abuja to Kaduna. Yes, it’s happening,’’ he boasted, adding, “This is just one way of tackling insecurity. Kidnapping today has replaced armed robbery in Nigeria because people don’t carry money anymore. That is what is going on in the country.’’
Noting that organised crimes had reduced considerably, and mass abduction by criminal gangs had tackled, the NSA assured that the Federal Government would continue to do everything possible to improve the welfare of its citizens and remain transparent in doing government business.
He said, “This government is rather the most transparent government ever in the history of Nigeria. Honestly, we will be sincere and do our best. Sometimes, the issue of national security requires little management to get the result that you are looking for."
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