Presidency rejects calls to subcontract internal security to foreign govts

The Presidency has insisted that President Bola Ahmed Tinubu remains committed to securing every inch of Nigeria by confronting terrorists with strength, unity, and a whole-of-government approach, stressing that former President Olusegun Obasanjo’s suggestion to invite foreign governments to handle Nigeria’s internal security amounts to capitulation.

Obasanjo, speaking at the Plateau Unity Christmas and Praise Festival in Jos South LGA over the weekend, lamented that despite killings across regions and religions, the federal government appears unable to protect its citizens.

He said, “We are part of the world community. If our government cannot do it, we have the right to call on the international community to do for us what our government cannot do for us. If we are being killed, it is the responsibility of the government to do something about it.”

Responding to the former President, the Special Adviser to the President on Media and Public Communications, Sunday Dare, said in a post on his X handle on Sunday that what the government needs is for all patriots to join hands “and not raise alarms.”

The Presidency accused Obasanjo of failing to tackle terrorism when it first emerged under his administration, saying that “the suggestion that Nigeria should effectively subcontract its internal security to foreign governments is not statesmanship; it is capitulation.”

The presidential spokesman said that before recommending surrender, the former president should reflect on what he failed to do when terrorists first began organising under his watch.

He added that the current 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.”

Dare said that when former leaders disparage the nation’s capacity, they hand psychological victories to terrorists who continue to murder, kidnap, and extort Nigerians. “A real statesman offers support, not soundbites,” he said.

“If Obasanjo wishes to help, he should acknowledge the past failures that allowed terrorists to gain a foothold, and then support ongoing efforts, not undermine them.”

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