Former President Olusegun Obasanjo has openly criticised President Bola Tinubu’s administration, accusing the government of failing in its fundamental responsibility of protecting Nigerians.
The former president said the situation has deteriorated to a point where citizens have every right to seek assistance from the international community.
Obasanjo made the remarks in Jos, Plateau State, during a public event where he addressed the rising insecurity and the government’s inability to curb the killings happening across the country.
He described the unending violence as a national disaster, not something that should be blamed on a particular region, faith, or group.
The former president stated clearly that no community should be left to fend for itself in the face of attacks.
According to him, the number of deaths recorded across the country shows that the Nigerian government has lost control of its primary duty, which is the protection of its people.
“No matter what religion you belong to, no matter where you come from, no matter what profession, we Nigerians are being killed and our governments seem to be incapable of protecting us. We are part of the world community. If our government cannot do it, we have right to call on the international community to do for us what our government cannot do for us,” he said.
Obasanjo also dismissed ongoing narratives that attempt to downplay the crisis by tying it to specific tribes or regions. He insisted that once a Nigerian life is lost, the entire nation should be concerned.
“And for anybody to say because those who are being killed belong to this region, belong to this religion, belong to this tribe, and then others too are being killed, cannot be an acceptable excuse.”
Speaking further, he reflected on his time in office, revealing that security agencies already had the capability to locate criminal elements anywhere in the country.
What they lacked at the time, he said, was the technology to neutralise such threats without deploying troops physically.
“Before I left government, I know we had capacity to pick up anybody in Nigeria who committed crime anywhere. The capacity that we didn’t have then is after we have identified and located such a criminal, we have no capacity to be able to pick him up without moving on land or by air.”
He then questioned why, despite advancements in technology: including drones capable of hitting targets remotely — the current administration prefers negotiations and apologies over firm action.
“Now we have capacity with drones. You can take them out. Why are we not doing that? Why are we apologising? Why are we negotiating?” he asked.
Obasanjo’s remarks add to the growing criticism over the government’s handling of security challenges, especially as attacks continue in several parts of the country.