‘Terrorism took root on your watch’ – Presidency replies Obasanjo

• The Presidency strongly criticized former President Olusegun Obasanjo for suggesting Nigeria should seek foreign help over insecurity.
• The Presidency stated Obasanjo lacks the credibility to criticize President Tinubu, accusing his administration of allowing terrorism (Boko Haram) to take root.
• They called Obasanjo’s suggestion a “capitulation” but affirmed that Nigeria will cooperate internationally without surrendering its sovereignty.

The Presidency has strongly rejected former President Olusegun Obasanjo’s recent criticism of the Tinubu administration’s handling of worsening insecurity, arguing that Obasanjo lacks the credibility to comment on the matter.

Obasanjo had spoken at a function in Jos, Plateau State, suggesting that if the Nigerian government could not handle the security crisis, citizens have the “right” to call for international intervention.

Presidency Condemns Call for Foreign Intervention

In a statement released over the weekend by the Special Adviser to the President on Media and Public Communication, Sunday Dare, the Presidency condemned Obasanjo’s suggestion to seek foreign help as an “abdication of responsibility.”

Dare called the comment “ignoble,” and stated that before suggesting surrendering Nigeria’s sovereignty, the former President should reflect on his own record:

“The suggestion that Nigeria should effectively subcontract its internal security to foreign governments is not statesmanship; it is capitulation. Before recommending surrender, the former President should reflect on what he failed to do when these terrorists first began organising under his watch.”

Accusation of Allowing Terrorism to Take Root

The Presidency directly accused the Obasanjo administration of being complacent in the early stages of the security threat:

“It is a historical fact that the ideological seeds and early cells of Boko Haram were nurtured during Obasanjo’s civilian presidency. As they recruited, indoctrinated, established camps, and openly challenged authority, the state failed to act with the necessary urgency.”

The statement added that for the leader under whom the first seeds of terrorism were allowed to germinate to now issue public lectures is “reckless.”

Calling Terrorists by Name

The Presidency insisted that the groups ravaging the country must be correctly identified as terrorists, regardless of their flag:

“The people killing Nigerians, raiding villages, kidnapping innocents, blowing up infrastructure and challenging state authority are terrorists whether they fly a foreign flag or none at all.”

It concluded by emphasizing that while Nigeria is open to international cooperation with the U.S. and allied nations, it will not “outsource its security or surrender its sovereignty.”