FG’s Security Makeover -By Adetunji Ayobrown

Civilization comes with own new challenges, of which security top the chart. But unfortunately, there are huge gaps between those who are nice by their statements and those who are correct by theirs.

Mr President did made progress, but frankly speaking, it is not much. One man’s vulgarity is another’s lyrics, multidimensional and new tricks of these challenges are the riddles that all Nigerians should come together to solve.

Buhari inundates Nigerians on how low he sets his bar, because many believed that someone of his calibre and supposedly enviable curriculum vitae can do better. When it comes to security and well-being of its citizens, a good leader must face these enormous challenges in the execution of his primary duties and mandates. Challenges are what make life interesting and overcoming them are what makes life meaningful.

For the realists, it is not about how you can talk, but how good in term of correctness, one of the reasons some disagreed with his claim. He promised to put an end to Boko Haram insurgency, kidnapping and other forms of criminality during his inaugural speech, a statement many Nigerians still held on to against him. Some actually agreed with Mr President that the successes achieved so far have restored our pride and honour the world over, though Nigerians I think don’t want to hear this, yet they are important and valuable at the moment as the bitter truth kind of.

We’ve have focused on the capacity of our law enforcement officers, from numerical strength, to financial resources, training and equipment as if these were the only requirements. While all of these are necessary and welcome, they are regrettably not enough and precise enough to resolve the problems we still have on ground.

The populace are facing tough and rough moments now as a result of the insurgency and concern for those actually affected is what aroused the anger of Nigerians. The main cause of their fury is based on how President Buhari has on his own set a low bar for himself and administration, his comments on the Boko Haram issue does not show him as humane. It made many submit that only the victims can provide correct answers, if truly there are any improvements of sort.

Don’t blow-up already tensed moments, it is unfortunate that the President gave that kind of impression. Maybe, he was only trying to encourage not only himself but hardworking men and women who are daily facing the terrorists and fighting these menaces. Many assume that he is being given very wrong report by those who are saddled with the task of coordinating the fight against the terrorists and insurgency. Nigerians are of the opinion that the battle is far from being won.

Nothing has changed, Balarabe Musa Tanko Yakasai, a former Liaison Officer to late President Shehu Shagari said. Alhaji Tanko Yakasai is among the millions of citizen who did not agree with Buhari but noted that only Nigerians could state whether or not, President Muhammadu Buhari and the Service Chiefs statements on the Boko Haram’s decimation is anything near the truth.

Many saw the President as doing his best to insult Nigerians’ sensibility by his statement; Buhari’s self-glory is coming barely a week after he had expressed surprise on the rise of the insurgency in the country, what a contradiction?

The reaction of Nigerians will be my reactions,” he said. In the same vein, the former governor of old Kaduna State, Alhaji Balarabe Musa, said the Buhari administration has been re-echoing decimation of Boko Haram with little or nothing on ground as proof. “He has said that many times before, but we are seeing something different. As far as I am concerned, there’s nothing different in the state of affairs,” Musa said.

My take is that Nigerians should have advised Mr President not to limit his capability instead of his condemnations. For the President, Arewa Youth Consultative Forum, Alhaji Yerima who said neither President nor the military was winning the war against Boko Haram, may not be totally correct. He said, no, they have not. If everything is put in place, if they have actually got it right in the last five years as we are today, ordinarily nobody would have begun to think of self-help.

It is sad and very unfortunate that the right structure is not put in place in the best interest of the people. Yes, people are no longer sleeping with their two eyes closed, because it is obvious that the FG has failed and this is the reason for what we are witnessing today.

We need to really be realistic and put in all efforts to make the victory come to reality. Many are still in shock about the President’s recent statement that he has decimated Boko Haram and the fact that he said he was surprised that Boko Haram was still in existence within a week interval; honestly, it is difficult to reconcile the two positions. But this question of whether or not can only be answered by Nigerians and not him.

Nothing ruins a good suit like bad posture, Buhari should have let Nigerians give him the accolades, but it was rather surprising that President Buhari who only a week ago expressed shock on the rate of crimes and insecurity could in quick succession say he had won the war against Boko Haram. Nigerians should provide answers whether they agree with him or not.

Those who disagreed with the President are not to be blamed, that is how frog feels when it is dissected. News reports still claim that there are certain areas in the North East that are still under the grip of Boko Haram and these include Baga, Kukawa, Gubio, Monguno, Gamboru-Ngala, Damasak and several other communities.

That something is achieved in a way doesn’t mean we can’t drive for something better, Buhari should have been rightly advised truly.

He however thanked Nigerians for believing in him, in spite of the occasional outrage that seems to bring us together as a nation, irrespective of political, religious and ethnic affiliations, in our strive to tackle headlong the challenges.

The claim by a group that their tribe owns the country is rather one of such numerous statements that have been inhibiting the success of overcoming these challenges. Allowing such critical linkages between security challenges we face and the deliberate conduct of this group and others who are not even Nigerians needs immediate and decisive action by Mr President. Other Nigerians think makeover statements as such could not help the country but cause its dishonour.