Presidency: Tinubu’ll Secure Nigeria By Confronting Terrorists With Strength, Integrated National Security Approach

.Says terrorism germinated during Obasanjo’s time as president

Deji Elumoye in Abuja

The Presidency on Sunday declared that President Bola Tinubu remains fully committed to securing every inch of Nigeria by confronting terrorists with strength, unity, and an integrated national security approach. Presidential spokesperson, Sunday Dare, in a detailed statement shared via his verifiedX handle, @SundayDareSD, stated “Under Tinubu, Nigeria Will defeat terrorism. “President Bola Tinubu remains committed to securing every inch of Nigeria by confronting terrorists with strength, unity, and a whole-of-government strategy. Let all patriots join hands now and not raise alarms. “

He dismissed recent remarks by a former President and a few individuals he described as perennial presidential aspirants suggesting that the Tinubu administration is “unable to protect Nigerians,”.He reaffirmed that under President Tinubu, Nigeria will overcome terrorism through a united national front, stressing that the administration will not be distracted by “selective amnesia wrapped in elder-statesmanship,” nor allow those who midwifed Nigeria’s early security failures to rewrite historyHe described such comments as hypocritical, misleading, and dangerous adding that those making such comments ignore the hard truth that Nigeria is currently battling a multilayered terrorist ecosystem involving internationally recognised terror groups, ISIS-linked and al-Qaeda-linked networks across the Sahel, violent extremist cells posing as bandits, cross-border terror gangs exploiting porous borders, and ideological insurgents operating in ungoverned spaces.

According to him, these groups collaborate, share resources, and share intelligence with one aim to break the Nigerian state.Urging all patriots to join hands wity the government rather than raising alarms, Dare insisted that Nigerians must call the enemies of the state the name they are, which is terrorists.The Presidential media aide noted that terrorism in Nigeria did not emerge suddenly, stressing that the ideological foundations and early operational cells of Boko Haram took root during former President Olusegun Obasanjo’s administration due to what he described as weak or indecisive action at the time.What started as a preventable sect, Dare stated, later mutated into a violent insurgency and a regional terror franchise aligned with global jihadist movements.

His words: “Terrorism Took Root on His Watch and Grew Because It Was Not Stopped. It is historical fact that the ideological foundations and early cells of Boko Haram were incubated during Obasanjo’s civilian presidency. While they recruited, indoctrinated, built camps, and flaunted authority, the state failed to act decisively.“For the leader under whom the first seeds of terrorism were allowed to germinate to now issue public lectures is not just ironic, it is reckless.”

He explained that Tinubu is not confronting an ordinary security challenge but a full-spectrum terrorist threat internal, external, and transnational.The President’s strategy, Dare said, “combines kinetic pressure through modernised military capability and intelligence-driven operations with non-kinetic measures such as restoring governance in underserved communities, counter-radicalisation programmes, economic stabilisation initiatives, and building trust with local populations to deny terrorists the human terrain they exploitHe added that the administration’s security philosophy is anchored on unity and national coordination, emphasising that Nigeria will continue to cooperate with allies like the United States but will never outsource its internal security or “raise a white flag because someone who once had the chance lost his nerve.

“This administration will not be distracted by selective amnesia wrapped in elder-statesmanship, nor will it allow those who midwifed Nigeria’s early security failures to rewrite history.”He warned that when past leaders publicly undermine Nigeria’s capacity, they handed psychological victories to terrorists who continue to attack citizens.

“A real statesman offers support, not soundbites,” he said.Dare urged former President Obasanjo to acknowledge the failures that allowed terrorism to germinate under his watch and to deploy his influence in support of ongoing efforts instead of attempting to discredit an administration working across economic, security, and infrastructural fronts.