The Presidency has dismissed former President Olusegun Obasanjo’s criticism of President Bola Tinubu over Nigeria’s escalating security challenges, insisting that Obasanjo is not in a moral position to pass judgment. It argued that terrorism in Nigeria began to take shape during Obasanjo’s administration due to alleged failure to act decisively in the early stages.
The response was contained in a statement posted on X by the Special Adviser to the President on Media and Public Communication, Sunday Dare, titled “Between Tinubu’s capability and the ignobility of pseudo statesmanship.”
The Presidency condemned Obasanjo’s suggestion that Tinubu should seek foreign assistance if he cannot handle the country’s security issues, describing the call as a “capitulation” and “not an act of statesmanship.” It said Nigeria would not surrender its internal security responsibilities to foreign governments.
Dare noted that those criticizing the current administration were part of the class that “looked away” when terrorism was taking root. He stressed that the Tinubu administration would not be distracted by what he called “selective amnesia wrapped in elder-statesmanship.”
According to the Presidency, Nigeria is currently under attack from a complex network of terrorist groups—international, regional, and local—working together in a multilayered ecosystem. These groups, it said, share resources, ideology, intelligence, and weapons, all aimed at destabilizing the Nigerian state.
The statement further alleged that Boko Haram’s ideological foundations and early cells were formed during Obasanjo’s presidency, a period it claimed the government failed to confront the budding extremist movement.
“The people killing Nigerians, raiding villages, kidnapping innocents, blowing up infrastructure and challenging state authority are terrorists—whether they fly a foreign flag or none at all,” the Presidency said, maintaining that no euphemism can soften the harsh reality of the nation’s security challenges.
