The Presidency has dismissed recent comments credited to former President Olusegun Obasanjo suggesting that Nigeria should seek foreign governments to help stabilise its internal security, describing the position as “ignoble, misleading, and unbecoming of a former leader who failed to act when terrorism first took root.”
In a strongly worded response issued on X by the Special Adviser to President Bola Tinubu on Media and Communication, Sunday Dare, the Presidency said President Tinubu would not outsource Nigeria’s internal security to any foreign nation, insisting that the country was facing “full-spectrum terrorism” and required unity, not public grandstanding.
Dare said Obasanjo’s remarks amounted to selective amnesia, noting that the ideological foundations and early cells of Boko Haram emerged during the former President’s civilian administration, when extremist camps were allowed to organise, recruit, and consolidate.
“It is a matter of historical fact that terrorism sprouted under his watch and grew because it was not stopped,” the Presidency said. “For someone who looked away as extremists built structures, recruited followers and expanded networks, to now issue lectures is not statesmanship — it is capitulation.”
According to the Presidency, Nigeria currently confronts a complex terrorist ecosystem ranging from internationally designated terror groups, ISIS-linked and al-Qaeda-aligned cells across the Sahel, cross-border extremist networks, and local violent groups masquerading as bandits.
“These actors collaborate, share intelligence, weapons, logistics and ideology. Their unified objective is to weaken the Nigerian state and terrorise its citizens,” the statement added, stressing that attempting to downplay the scale of the threat or disparage the country’s capability “gives psychological victory to terrorists.”
Dare said President Tinubu’s approach was a comprehensive, whole-of-government strategy that combines kinetic pressure with non-kinetic interventions.
The plan included modernising military capabilities, expanding intelligence-led operations, restoring governance in underserved regions, stabilising communities, and promoting counter-radicalisation initiatives.
“President Tinubu is confronting terrorism head-on, not with rhetoric, but with real action — from strengthening military operations to closing ungoverned spaces and denying terrorists the human terrain they exploit,” he noted.
While acknowledging the importance of international cooperation, the Presidency insisted that Nigeria would never surrender its sovereignty or rely on foreign governments to secure its territory.
“Nigeria needs support and collaboration, yes. But outsourcing national security is not an option. What is required is unity, not unnecessary posturing. Let all patriots join hands,” the statement said.
It urged former leaders to support ongoing efforts instead of issuing comments that undermine morale.
“Those who failed to act in the past should not rewrite history today,” the Presidency said. “Under President Tinubu, Nigeria will confront and defeat terrorism. This administration will not be distracted by blame games from those who midwifed our early security failures.”
The statement ended by calling on all Nigerians, especially past leaders, to rally behind the ongoing security strategy instead of “handing terrorists a psychological win through careless remarks.”
