Member of the Board of Trustees of the New Nigeria People’s Party (NNPP), Buba Galadima, has admitted that his long years of attacking former President Goodluck Jonathan now appear misplaced.
He also said that Nigeria’s current insecurity crisis has disgraced him and proven Jonathan to be a saint compared to those who came after him.
“I was one of the greatest critics of Jonathan’s presidency. I didn’t know God would disgrace me to show me that Jonathan was even a saint and a better administrator than those that followed him,” Galadima said.
Making the remarks during an interview on Arise News on Monday, Galadima praised Jonathan’s decision to postpone the 2015 elections by six weeks and hire foreign mercenaries to combat insurgency back in the days.
“He postponed the election for six weeks, brought mercenaries, and within six weeks those mercenaries stabilised Nigeria. There was no polling booth where elections did not take place,” he said.
He argued that engaging mercenaries today would cost less than 10 percent of what the Nigerian military currently consumes, insisting the Jonathan-era strategy was more effective than current efforts.
From his reflections on Jonathan, Galadima launched into a sweeping indictment of the current administration, accusing it of abandoning core constitutional duties while insecurity spirals.
“For me, the government has abdicated its primary responsibility of protecting lives and properties of citizens and has given 99 percent of its time to politicking.
“Governance, especially in a country like Nigeria, is a serious business. It is not how to make money, but how much sacrifice the leaders make on behalf of the people,” he said.
According to him, any Nigerian leader whether president, governor or council chairman should spend almost every waking hour tackling national problems.
“You shouldn’t have more than six hours for leisure. The remaining must be hands on the wheels. But That is what we are not seeing,” he said.
He accused the APC-led government of prioritising political dominance over national security saying the government is only concerned about receiving decampees or trying to destroy opposition political parties.
He advised that even APC members should defend the existence of opposition parties to safeguard their own political relevance.
“It is not in their interest to destroy opposition because without opposition there is no democracy. And if there is no democracy, it means we are sliding to fascism, dictatorship of the Mussolini type. And this is exactly where they are taking us.”
Turning to the current security response, Galadima said those in authority must put on their thinking cap and do the needful describing the response as outdated and lacking intelligence.
“They have tried this gara gara as I call it. It did not work. It is now time to use their intellect, use technology, and protect our citizens.”
Galadima cited a personal experience in China where CCTV and tracking systems recovered a stolen bag within hours across two airports.
“So that illustrates the point. We are not serious. We are only interested in power to make money or to show you that I have arrived.”
He accused security operatives of ignoring clear intelligence before the Niger school attack, noting that bandits’ movements were tracked “verbatim” yet no action was taken.
He condemned soldiers who reportedly abandoned their post during the attack saying, “Why did they leave the place? They should be court-martialled and be shot.”
Furthermore, he condemned the widespread closure of schools in the North as “shameful,” insisting government should secure learning environments instead of shutting them down.
He dismissed excuses about collateral damage, saying terrorists live separately from their captives and should be confronted firmly. He warned that insurgents now possess advanced technology, including drones and real-time surveillance, citing an ISWAP commander who claimed to have full imagery of Sambisa Forest.
Galadima also cautioned President Tinubu against yielding to pressure from US President Donald Trump, urging him to rely on honest, knowledgeable advisers.
However, he said he himself is “neither electable nor appointable” because he cannot commit to the long hours leadership demands.