Former Secretary to the Government of the Federation (SGF), Babachir Lawal, has accused the administration of President Bola Tinubu of failing to show any real commitment to address the worsening security situation in Nigeria.
Speaking on the television channel’s Politics Today on Monday, he stated that previous governments, including those of Goodluck Jonathan and Muhammadu Buhari, performed better in ensuring national security and justice.
Lawal, who served as SGF under the late President Muhammadu Buhari, said the Tinubu-led government has shown no interest in addressing insecurity compared to previous administrations.
“Previous governments were better and more accommodating,” Lawal said. “They served Nigerians better in the sense of fairness, intent to fight corruption and be fair and equitable.
Even in the sense of insecurity, Goodluck Jonathan fought against insecurity. Buhari took charge and did it; “This government is not interested in that,” he added.
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The former SGF argued that before Tinubu assumed office in May 2023, Adamawa State, his home state in the northeast, was relatively peaceful. However, he said the security situation has deteriorated two years into the current administration.
Lawal also criticized the National Security Advisor (NSA), Nuhu Ribadu, saying he had not seen any tangible efforts by his office to curb the killings and growing threats across the country.
“I don’t see what work [Ribadu] is doing. If I see what work he’s doing, I’ll tell you.
“If I see results from what they are doing, I will say it, it won’t hurt me.
“I know there are soldiers out there, some are losing their lives, many of them are from my community and have returned dead. I know them.
“Why are they losing their lives? Because the system that should support them has failed.
“When you send the soldier into battle with an old, outdated rifle that can only hold 20 rounds and he’s facing an enemy that has a kilometer of bullets, you fire one and it jams,” he said.
Asked why he did not address the issue while in office, Lawal defended the Buhari administration, saying it had made better provisions for the security forces.
“Our time was better, better weapons were obtained. We had the advantage that ours was a soldier.
“Our Head of State understood the problems and did it well. Perhaps [Tinubu] He is not interested,” Lawal added.
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