Former President Olusegun Obasanjo and other government opponents have come under fire from the presidency for allegedly attempting to thwart President Bola Tinubu’s attempts to combat terrorism.
“Between Tinubu’s Capability and the Ignobility of Pseudo Statesmanship” was the title of a statement released on Sunday by Sunday Dare, the President’s Special Advisor on Media and Public Communication.
He claimed that Obasanjo and “habitual presidential aspirants” were misrepresenting the Tinubu government’s incapacity to defend Nigerians.
Dare characterized their remarks as “capitulation” rather than “true statesmanship,” claiming that their criticisms underestimate the extent of terrorism dangers. In recent weeks, Obasanjo, former Vice President Atiku Abubakar, and other opposition figures have denounced escalating insecurity and questioned the government’s non-kinetic security posture.
Speaking at an event in Jos on Friday, Obasanjo expressed alarm over the insecurity, saying Nigerians have a right to seek external support if the government fails in its job.
He answered, “No matter what religion you belong to. regardless of where you’re from. We Nigerians, regardless of our occupation, are being murdered, and it appears that our government is powerless to stop it.
We belong to the global community. We have the right to ask the world community to help us in situations where our government is unable to.
In response, Dare called Obasanjo’s comments “hypocritical and ignoble,” emphasizing that Obasanjo’s government was when Boko Haram began to gain ground.
“The idea that Nigeria should essentially subcontract its internal security to foreign governments is capitulation, not statesmanship,” he declared.
“The former President should consider what he failed to do when these terrorists started organizing under his watch before recommending surrender.”
The emergence of Boko Haram’s “ideological foundations and early cells” during Obasanjo’s administration, when the state failed to take effective action, is a “historical fact,” Dare continued.
He claims that what started out as a small extremist sect eventually grew into a violent insurgency and a regional threat that was in line with international jihadist activities.
He called it “reckless” that the group’s leader would now give public talks.
Dare emphasized that President Tinubu is combating terrorism through counter-radicalization initiatives, military action, information gathering, and the restoration of governance in impacted communities.
He cautioned that attacking the government could give terrorists more confidence. “When former leaders denigrate the country’s ability, they give psychological victories to the very terrorists who are killing, abducting, and extorting Nigerians,” he stated.
Dare went on to say that rather than undermining the government, Obasanjo ought to accept the mistakes of the past.
He said Obasanjo should “put his position and connections at Nigeria’s disposal” rather than criticizing an administration working on economic recovery, security, and infrastructure.
In closing, he stated that President Tinubu is still dedicated to protecting the nation and that the administration will not be sidetracked by what he described as “selective amnesia wrapped in elder statesmanship.”
