President Bola Tinubu’s government said it has done far better in securing the country in its over two years than the Peoples Democratic Party’s 16 years in power.
Dada Olusegun, a media aide to Mr Tinubu, made the argument in a post on X on Saturday while responding to criticisms by the ADC spokesperson, Bolaji Abdullahi, over the recent massacre of about 200 people in Kwara State.
“The festering insecurity and violent attacks in Kwara, Katsina and other parts of the country, and massacre of innocent Nigerians is concrete proof that Nigeria has no government,” Mr Abdullahi said.
However, Mr Olusegun lashed out at Mr Abdullahi, who was a member of the PDP and the All Progressives Congress in the past before joining the ADC, blaming his former party for insecurity in Nigeria.
“While the recent attacks in some parts of the country are totally condemnable, it will be dishonest, though unsurprising coming from you, to compare the efforts of a President who has done more for the security sector in two years than the whole 16 years of your former party, the PDP,” Mr Olusegun said.
He added, “For record purposes, by building on the efforts of his predecessor, Late President Muhammadu Buhari, who degraded Boko Haram beyond recognition, President Tinubu has continued to take different approaches to solving our insecurity issues in contrast to the dormant, uninspiring and directionless days of your party which led to the tweet quoted by you.”
The presidential media aide listed some of the efforts of the President Tinubu-led administration on security over the past two and a half years.
According to Mr Olusegun, defence spending surged from N1.25 trillion in 2023 to N4.91 trillion in 2025, facilitating disruptions of major terror cells and improved inter-agency coordination. Sustained military operations have yielded measurable results, including the surrender of more than 160,000 Boko Haram and ISWAP members and their families.
He added, “Also, President Tinubu has continued to call for the fast tracking of local policing with many states already launching the scheme. Forest guards, mining marshals and other local security services have been introduced to improve grassroot security. Equipment procurement has bolstered capabilities, with the addition of five aircraft to the Nigerian Air Force (including two Diamond 62 surveillance planes, two T-129 ATAK helicopters, and one King Air 360 ER), enabling over 8,665 missions and 15,915 flying hours.”
For Mr Olusegun, “these efforts have led to the neutralization of 9,415 terrorists, arrest of over 3,159 suspects, and rescue of 5,449 hostages between August 2023 and April 2025. Also, these initiatives have contributed to reduced influence of groups like IPOB and overall progress in building community trust and addressing underlying social issues.”
He added, “Nigerians who lived through both administrations will not be fooled by this attempt at revisionism. They see the effort, they know the process and they feel the seriousness; same cannot be said of the administration you are trying to whitewash today. We will not watch while you misrepresent the facts with reverse psychology here. No, we will not.”
For over a decade in control of Nigeria’s governance at the centre, the ruling All Progressives Congress has blamed festering insecurity and increased poverty on the past 16 years of the PDP.
Promising change focused on anti-corruption, the fight against insecurity and poverty alleviation, the APC ousted the PDP in the historic 2015 election.
Though the APC wrested power from Goodluck Jonathan of the PDP a decade ago, it has continually blamed widespread poverty and insecurity on the PDP.
Former President Muhammadu Buhari, who succeeded Mr Jonathan, served two terms of eight years before handing over to his fellow party man, Bola Tinubu, on May 29, 2023.
In the past 10 years under APC administrations, Nigerians have witnessed increased banditry, gunmen raids on communities, mass kidnapping of schoolchildren for ransom, widespread poverty and unprecedented inflation. NAN