Afenifere’s Opadokun Disputes Tinubu’s Claim of Improved Security in Independence Day Speech

A chieftain of Afenifere, Chief Ayo Opadokun, on Tuesday, faulted President Bola Tinubu’s claim that the security situation in the country had improved “tremendously” and that the nation was winning the war against terrorism, banditry, kidnapping and other emerging security threats across the federation. 

Opadokun, former Secretary General of National Democratic Coalition (NADECO), while reacting to Tinubu’s Independence Day broadcast, queried if the president was living in another Nigeria different from the one “the rest of the us lives in.” 

President Tinubu had in his Independence broadcast stated: “On the security front, I am happy to announce to you, my compatriots, that our administration is winning the war on terror and banditry. 

“Our target is to eliminate all the threats of Boko Haram, banditry, kidnapping for ransom, and the scourge of all forms of violent extremism. Within one year, our government has eliminated Boko Haram and bandit commanders faster than ever. 

“As of the last count, over 300 Boko Haram and bandit commanders have been eliminated by our gallant troops in the Northeast, Northwest, and some other parts of the country.”

But speaking on AIT’s flagship programme, Kakaki, the elder statesman averred that the nation’s current security architecture was performing abysmally, insisting that “it cannot deliver.” 

According to him, “You are asking the Nigerian Conventional Armed Forces to fight asymmetrical war, bandits and invaders. Criminals, who would just fire arms and ammunition and then go back to the community and dress like the villagers and you cannot easily identify them. 

“And you say that the Nigerian Armed Forces who are trained to fight institutionisedarmed forces of opposite side to go and fight that and you proudly say that they are winning the war. That is not true, that does not represent the reality on ground in Nigeria today. 

“The Nigerian security architecture had made it impossible for ordinary farmer to go to farm. There is too much unacceptable level of poverty in Nigeria today. The agrarian farmers, the ordinary man, who can plough the field and get things done had been prevented from doing so by the invaders.   

“Farmers are being killed and kidnapped in their farms and their farms ravaged by cows. There is so much that is wrong with our security system, yet the Nigerian state is saying that the current security system is the best. That they have killed several thousands of Boko Haram and that is an achievement. 

“I am sorry, that does not command respect from any reasonable person. I expected that the president would have reached out to competent people, who would assist him solve the problem of Nigeria. The current system does not work.” 

Further criticizing President Tinubu’s Independence broadcast, the elder statesman said, Nigeria remained a giant in the foot of clay.  “Nigeria is a failure to the black race that look up to her for leadership. Let us first of all succeed in governing ourselves before we can reach out,” he added. 

 Linus Aleke

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