Follow Us on Google
• Says US deployment of troops will be counter-productive
From Ndubuisi Orji, Abuja
The African Democratic Congress (ADC), yesterday, said the President Bola Tinubu administration has failed most in securing the country.
Reacting to the designation of Nigeria as a Country of Particular Concern by the United States of America (USA) President, Donald Trump, the ADC said the security crisis in the country had escalated under the present administration.
The opposition party, in a statement by its interim national publicity secretary, Bolaji Abdullahi, said while the security crisis did not start in the Tinubu administration, the President has refused to acknowledge that things are getting worse under his watch.
President Trump, last week, designated Nigeria as a Country of Particular Concern, over alleged genocide against Christians, saying the US government may send troops to Nigeria, if need be.
However, the ADC appreciated the US President and other world leaders over their concerns about the security situation in Nigeria, but urged the world leaders to translate such concerns into support for the growth of Nigerian democracy.
The opposition party said: “We appreciate the American president and other world leaders for their concern about the security situation in our country. We will, however, urge that such concerns should be translated into supporting Nigeria to grow her democracy and develop its capacity to solve its own problems.
“We believe that mobilising armed troops or even a mere threat of doing so would do more harm than good, and ultimately, prove counter-productive to our democratic aspiration and the long-term unity and stability of our country.
“We are guided by the painful reality that what is really at stake on this issue are the thousands of human lives that have been lost to insecurity in Nigeria, irrespective of their tribe, religion or region. We, therefore, seize this moment to pay tribute to the memory of all the victims and express our deepest sympathies to their families.
“The statement by President Trump reminds us of the greater global concern about the sanctity of human life and the cardinal responsibility of national governments to protect the lives of people who live within their borders.
“It reminds us that in the modern world, concern for human rights, for which right to life is the most fundamental, transcends national boundaries and that the dignity and respect of nations are no longer measured by their economic strength alone, but also by their willingness and capacity to protect their own citizens.
“It is sad to note that it is in this most sacred mandate of government that this administration of President Bola Tinubu has failed most. Available reports indicate that nearly 15,000 lives have been lost to sundry violent activities since this administration assumed office in 2023. These deaths have occurred across regions and religions, underlining a national crisis that cuts across all divides and still endangers us all, regardless of tribe, region or religion.
Other News
“Entire communities have been sacked, worshippers have been slaughtered in religious spaces and bandits now control large territories in our country, waging war at will and levying taxes on citizens with impunity. Boko Haram, once declared as ‘technically degraded,’ is once again growing in strength, while another international terror group makes open claims of carrying out successful attacks on Nigerian soil.”
The party pointed out that under the Tinubu administration, terror groups have expanded their scope from the North East, North West and North Central.
“On October 31, 2025, the very day that President Trump announced his concern about Nigeria, another terror group, JNIM, an Al-Qaeda affiliate which had been active in the Sahel region, announced a successful attack in Kwara State, which serves as a gateway to the southern part of the country. The crisis that we face is, therefore, not about any ethnic or religious group being targeted for killing; it is an existential crisis that imperils all Nigerians.
“Quite significantly, it is also not about which region or religion has lost more lives; it is about every individual’s right to life. Life and death are absolutes and they must never be reduced to statistics. The ADC believes that one life lost that could have been saved, is one death too many.
“The problem of insecurity in Nigeria did not start with President Tinubu. The problem is that President Tinubu has refused to acknowledge that the crisis has gotten worse under his watch and has refused to accept responsibility. Instead, Nigerians have been met with excuses, cruel silence or utter indifference and political posturing that mocks the tragedy of victims and their families,” it stated.
The ADC, which queried the failure of the Federal Government to appoint ambassadors to key countries, since its assumption of office two years ago, said structural and diplomatic failures had continued to deepen Nigeria’s vulnerability on the international stage.
“Why has our foreign policy become so deeply personalised, focused on the image of the president and his interests, rather than the image of Nigeria and the interests of the Nigerian people? Why are there still no unified national security strategy, no regional coordination, and no meaningful engagement with the communities most affected?
“Under President Tinubu, Nigeria has declined both as a continental and a regional leader. Nothing underlines this decline more than the fracturing of the ECOWAS under his watch.
“A region that once looked up to us for direction and leadership on issues of democratisation and security now doesn’t think we matter anymore as smaller countries watch us fumble aimlessly with our own domestic crisis. These failures are not isolated. They are all connected, pointing to a government that is so incompetent, so narrow-minded, yet so blindly arrogant,” the party said.
The ADC said if the government had been less obsessed with politics, propaganda and self-celebration, it would have taken every single violent attack seriously, as well as acknowledged its weaknesses and asked for help.
It charged the Federal Government to overhaul the country’s security apparatus and conduct an independent audit of its operations, leadership and strategy.
The ADC also demanded the immediate appointment of ambassadors, a reset of the country’s foreign policy, with renewed engagement across the Economic Community of West Africa States (ECOWAS), the African Union (AU) and the United Nations (UN), as well as ensuring urgent economic reforms that is focused on price stability and a credible plan to ease inflation.
