Amid daily attacks leading to killings, abductions and kidnappings by Islamic terrorists, in the North East and bandits in the North Central and North West, the Federal government insisted that there was improved security compared to 2015.
Nigeria under President Muhammadu Buhari has been rated as 3rd most terrorists countries of the world. He took over the reigns on 29th May, 2015 from the former President Goodluck Jonathan.
There have been cases of mass abductions of school students and killings in Dapchi in Yobe State, Chibok in Borno and Sankara in Katsina, Buhari’s home State in the North western, Nigeria.
These, unfortunately, has generated heavy criticism among Nigerians who saw ineptitude, lacklustre and outright carefree of government to radically confront terrorists and bandits as government sometimes negotiate and offer huge amount of money to hostage takers.
For Mr Femi Adesina, Senior Special Adviser to President Muhammadu Buhari on Media and Publicity, he believes it is wrong to say President Buhari has failed in terms of security.
In a featured programme on Channels Television on Sunday, he said those scenarios were few events comparable to government’s achievement in tackling insecurity.
Adesina was upbeat that the governor of Borno State, Professor Babagana Zulum, could witness and tell anyone who care to know that things were better in terms of security.
“You don’t take one, two, three events, and then you conclude that it is all failure; you will get to some other parts of the North and they will tell you that things are a lot better.
“Even Governor (Babagana) Zulum who is in Borno State which is like the epicentre of the insurgency will tell you that the situation in that state is far better than what it was in 2015,” said Adesina who is the Special Adviser to President Buhari on Media and Publicity.
He went further to evaluate the performance of the present administration, saying they have done fair enough beyond what anyone has done.
The presidential aide admitted that 2020 was a very challenging year not just for Nigeria but all countries of the work as a result of the COVID-19 pandemic.
According to him, it cannot be the real benchmark year to review the promises made by the government at the start of the year.
Adesina explained that most of the promises made could not also be actualised to the letter because from March, the country and indeed the world, was on what he described as suspended animation.
He, however, stressed that despite the low earnings and the fact that the nation’s economy did not function at full capacity, a good number of the promises were still accomplished.
“In a political situation where you have a term, as in four years, the consequences will usually be loss of reputation, loss of respect for that government, and eventually, it could reflect at the polls.
“But we know that this is a government that has a reputation, that has integrity, and what has been promised will be accomplished and at the end of the term when the elections are held, we will see the results again,” said the President’s spokesman.
He added, “There were lockdowns everywhere and it lasted till like the last quarter of that year, but it is to the advantage of this government that most of the things promised may not have been accomplished 100 per cent but a good number of them were accomplished.”
