Former Secretary to the Government of the Federation (SGF), Babachir Lawal, has accused President Bola Tinubu’s administration of failing to tackle Nigeria’s worsening insecurity, describing it as less effective than previous governments.
Speaking on Channels Television’s Politics Today on Monday, Lawal claimed the Tinubu-led government had shown no real interest in addressing the country’s security challenges, comparing it unfavorably to the administrations of Goodluck Jonathan and Muhammadu Buhari.
“Past governments were better, more accommodating,” Lawal said. “They served Nigerians better in the sense of equity, fairness, and the intention to fight corruption. Even in the sense of insecurity, Jonathan fought insecurity; Buhari did too. This government is not interested in that.”
The former SGF, who served under Buhari, lamented that before Tinubu assumed office in May 2023, Adamawa State — his home state — was relatively peaceful, but that the situation had deteriorated since.
He also criticized the National Security Adviser, Nuhu Ribadu, questioning the impact of his office in curbing the wave of killings across the country. “I don’t see what work he is doing. If I see results, I will say it. I know soldiers are out there losing their lives — many of them from my community. Why? Because the system that ought to support them has failed,” he said.
Lawal alleged that many troops were being sent into battle with outdated rifles against better-armed terrorists. Defending the Buhari government, he said, “Our time was better; better arms were procured. We had the advantage that our Head of State was a soldier who understood the issues.”
On the broader security situation, Lawal warned that the government would lose its moral right to stop citizens from seeking external help if it failed to protect lives and property. “The government should assure us that they can give us peace, security, and prosperity. If they are unable to do that, they cannot blame any part of society that decides to seek help elsewhere,” he said.
Lawal also backed former U.S. President Donald Trump’s claim that the killing of Christians in Nigeria amounts to genocide. “It’s a genocide; if it’s not genocide, it’s a pogrom,” he declared, arguing that the government’s denial of targeted attacks on Christians was “a false narrative.”
He criticized those downplaying the situation, saying, “They argue that more Muslims are being killed than Christians, but that does not justify what is happening. If one of your children is among the dead, your worry is about that one.”
Lawal recalled that before the 2015 elections, Tinubu himself, then an APC leader, led a delegation to the U.S. to brief former President Barack Obama about the killing of Christians in Nigeria.
His comments come amid growing domestic and international concern about persistent insecurity in the country and Trump’s recent threat to “send U.S. forces into Nigeria with guns blazing” if the Nigerian government fails to stop the killings of Christians.
The Federal Government, however, has repeatedly denied claims of a Christian genocide, maintaining that terrorist attacks target all Nigerians regardless of religion.
