From Sola Ojo, Abuja
President -General of the Arewa Youth Consultative Forum (AYCF), Yerima Shettima yesterday said that recent verbal attacks on the Minister of State Defence Bello Matawalle and the National Security Adviser (NSA) Nuhu Ribadu were targeted at President Bola Tinubu.
The Zamfara State Governor, Dauda Lawal, in one of his recent appearances on a national television had argued that the current administration at the federal level lacked the will to address the chronic insecurity afflicting his state and Northern Nigeria as a whole.
To him,”Governor Lawal through sponsored faceless groups attacked the Minister for state defence Matawalle and the NSA apparently calling for their removal, another subtle way of trying to get at Tinubu, knowing well that they are among his trusted loyalists.
“Governor Lawal has failed to repose his own ineffectiveness and absence during critical security crises affecting his state, stressing that on the very day female students from the Federal University, Gusau,were abducted, the Governor embarked on a personal trip to the United States, thus leaving his state leaderless during a dire emergency.
“Governor Lawal’s unwarranted trip to the United States at such a critical time demonstrates his disconnection from the realities on the ground in Zamfara. It was alarming that the governor remained incommunicado and inaccessible to efforts from the Ministry of Defence and federal government officials seeking his cooperation.
“It is no longer news that Governor Lawal, has consistently refused to collaborate with federal initiatives aimed at combating insecurity, thereby,undermining collective efforts. This was recently collaborated with a viral video where bandits pledged their allegiance to him.
“The expansive role of the Ministers of Defence and the NSA involves harmonizing efforts between the military, paramilitary, and intelligence agencies to combat nationwide security threats and their focus on overhauling the operational environment for the nation’s security forces has been pivotal in enhancing their effectiveness against terrorism, insurgency, and other critical threats.
“Specifically, Matawalle’s proactive measures in addressing resource shortages, inadequate training, and operational constraints that had previously hampered security efforts and maintaining a balanced approach to ensure national security is quite commendable.
“We, therefore, call on President Bola Tinubu,not to give attention to distractors because Matawalle and Ribadu are trusted ally who remain committed to his renewed hope agenda.