Sunday Dare, Special Adviser on Media and Public Communication to President Bola Tinubu, has accused former President Olusegun Obasanjo and other critics of attempting to undermine the administration’s efforts to combat terrorism.
In a statement posted on his X handle on Sunday and titled “Between Tinubu’s Capability and the Ignobility of Pseudo Statesmanship,” Dare criticised recent comments by Obasanjo and several opposition figures who suggested the government is failing to protect Nigerians.
Obasanjo, speaking at an event in Plateau State on Friday, had argued that citizens have the right to seek international intervention if the government cannot guarantee their safety. He lamented continued killings and said the Federal Government had shown an inability to curb the violence.
But Dare described the former president’s remarks as “hypocritical,” insisting that Boko Haram’s early growth occurred under Obasanjo’s watch.
“It is historical fact that the ideological foundations and early cells of Boko Haram were incubated during Obasanjo’s civilian presidency,” he said. “For the leader under whom the first seeds of terrorism were allowed to germinate to now issue public lectures is not just ironic, it is reckless.”
He added that calling for foreign governments to take over Nigeria’s internal security “is not statesmanship; it is capitulation.”
Dare defended the Tinubu administration’s approach, saying it is pursuing a mix of military action, intelligence operations, governance restoration, and counter-radicalisation programmes. He warned that public statements questioning government capacity could embolden terrorists.
“When former leaders disparage the nation’s capacity, they hand psychological victories to the very terrorists murdering, kidnapping, and extorting Nigerians,” he said.
The presidential aide urged former leaders to support ongoing efforts rather than “rewrite history,” and called on Nigerians to unite behind the government’s security strategy.
“President Bola Ahmed Tinubu remains committed to securing every inch of Nigeria,” he said. “This administration will not be distracted by selective amnesia wrapped in elder-statesmanship.”