Paul Ibe, media aide to the presidential candidate of the African Democratic Congress, ADC, Atiku Abubakar, has criticised President Bola Tinubu over his Independence Day address, accusing him of failing to adequately address Nigeria’s worsening insecurity.
Ibe made the remarks in a post on X on Saturday while reacting to Tinubu’s Independence Day speech.
He said the President’s address was notable not only for what he said but also for what he allegedly avoided saying about insecurity in the country.
According to him, Tinubu made brief references to insecurity and thanked the security forces but failed to provide a detailed assessment of the killings, kidnappings, mass abductions and attacks on communities across the country.
Ibe said: “President Bola Tinubu’s Independence Day address was remarkable not only for what he said, but for what he carefully avoided saying.
“Yes, he made fleeting references to ‘insecurity’ and thanked the security forces. But on the pervasive insecurity confronting Nigerians today—the killings, kidnappings, mass abductions and communities living in fear—there was no serious accounting, no assessment of the crisis and no clear explanation of what his government intends to do differently.”
The former Atiku aide said the situation had made insecurity an “uncomfortable subject” for the administration.
Ibe argued that the government could not meaningfully discuss economic prosperity while insecurity continued to affect farmers, businesses, travellers and communities.
“You cannot talk seriously about prosperity while avoiding security. A farmer who cannot safely reach his farm cannot contribute to food security. A businessman afraid to travel cannot grow his business. Children who fear abduction cannot learn in peace,” he said.
He added that Nigerians deserved clear answers from Tinubu, as Commander-in-Chief, on why insecurity persisted, what had gone wrong, the progress recorded and what measures would be changed.
“Playing the ostrich cannot make the crisis disappear,” Ibe said.
He maintained that the protection of lives and property remained the primary responsibility of government and that Nigerians deserved more than a passing reference to insecurity in an Independence Day address.
“Insecurity cannot be wished away. It must be confronted, accounted for and defeated,” he added.
Tinubu avoided Nigeria’s insecurity crisis in Independence Day speech – Atiku’s aide