Dennis Amachree, a former Deputy Director of the Department of State Services (DSS), has urged President Bola Tinubu to prioritize the nation’s deteriorating security problems over political considerations in the lead-up to the 2027 general elections.
Amachree, speaking on Channels Television’s Sunday Politics, said the Federal Government must concentrate on getting security right across the country before it turns its attention to campaign activities and electoral ambitions.
He said insecurity should be the President’s most important responsibility as Commander-in-Chief of the Armed Forces, even though the President is under complex political pressures.
Amachree said the persistence of attacks, kidnappings and killings in different parts of the country demands decisive leadership from the presidency.
“I feel sorry for the President sometimes because he has a lot of variables to deal with. He said: “As he takes one step, he is also careful about his political party and supporters and trying not to step on certain toes.
But he said political considerations should not distract the government from dealing with the security crisis.
“If he wants to come back as President, like Jonathan did, he should stop the political campaigns and face the security problem headlong. First solve it. If we need help from outside, let’s get it. Then we can get back on the campaign trail. “If we are campaigning and people are being attacked, I don’t think citizens will come out to vote,” he added.
The former intelligence officer insisted that the President must be at the forefront of any meaningful reform of Nigeria’s security architecture, adding that the National Assembly would not be opposed to whatever genuine effort is being made to address insecurity.
“We can start with the Commander-in-Chief. He is the one dealing with the problem and will be backed by the legislature with the necessary laws to do what has to be done. I think the National Assembly will support him wholeheartedly if they see he is serious. The buck stops on his table and that is where we should start,” Amachree said.
He also voiced frustration over what he called the slow pace of legislative and policy reforms to strengthen internal security.
Amachree said the debate over state police has been on for a long time, adding that it was surprising that things that should have been done long ago are still being talked about.
“It is taking forever to boost our security architecture. I have seen cases in Nigeria where bills are passed in less than a week. “One thing that should have been passed a long time ago was approved just a few days ago for state police and now it still has to go through the states for consensus,” he said.
“Why did we spend so much time? There should have been more urgency, given the security situation facing the country.”
His comments come amid renewed worries about increasing insecurity, including the recent kidnapping of schoolchildren, teachers and other residents in Oyo State. The incident led to protests and the Nigeria Union of Teachers (NUT) declared an indefinite strike in public schools in the affected areas.
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