Former presidential candidate, Gbenga Olawepo-Hashim, has stated that the United States military airstrike in Nigeria has indicted the administration of President Bola Tinubu.
Speaking via a statement on Sunday, he asserted that the military action carried out in coordination with Nigerian authorities highlights international anxiety over the worsening security situation in the country.
He stated that the situation has revealed deep-rooted security failures under the All Progressives Congress-led Federal Government, adding that the country’s internal security architecture is weak and ineffective.
According to him, responsible global actors could not afford to ignore the emergence of an IS foothold in Nigeria, describing the country as “too large, too strategic, and too important to be allowed to fail.”
Olawepo-Hashim disclosed that since 2021, and with greater urgency in the past year, his team had consistently warned that security modelling in the North-West pointed to a dangerous trajectory, including the possible emergence of an IS-aligned enclave if decisive action was not taken.
“More worrying is the elevation of individuals who enable or rationalise extremism into positions of political influence, creating conditions under which terror groups can aspire to territorial control,” he said.
The former presidential hopeful also referenced the recent explosion in Offa, Kwara State, which sparked panic and destruction of property, noting that such incidents further exposed the fragility of internal security and intelligence coordination across the country.
While acknowledging that foreign airstrikes could temporarily degrade terrorist capabilities, Olawepo-Hashim stressed that sustainable peace could only be achieved through internal reforms.
He said that repeated external interventions, if not properly managed, could raise serious concerns about sovereignty and accountability, adding that clear frameworks, transparency, and strict oversight must govern any security cooperation with foreign partners.
The situation in the North-West is dire. Without urgent internal reforms, improved governance and decisive political leadership, external military interventions will not produce sustainable results,” he warned.