The Presidency has stated that it agrees with a London-based news magazine, The Economist, which reported that Nigeria’s insecurity worsened since President Muhammadu Buhari assumed office in 2015, but noted that the administration has not folded its arms either.
The Senior Special Assistant, Media and Publicity to the President, Garba Shehu, stated this in a reaction to the London magazine’s publication.
The Economist in the report had described the Buhari government as inept and high-handed, adding that he had also failed to tackle corruption.
The 178-year-old magazine said these in an editorial titled, “The Crime Scene at the Heart of Africa,” which was published in its October 23, 2021, issue.
It said due to the Buhari’s mismanagement of the economy, food prices had soared while life had become more difficult for Nigerians.
According to People’s Gazette, Shehu, in a reaction, said, “The Economist is also accurate to state that they (insecurity challenges) have come to a head under President Buhari and the All Progressives Congress (APC) administration.”
While admitting that insecurity has taken a deep plunge, spiralling out of control, Shehu defended the Nigerian leader as more purposeful and pragmatic than previous administrations.
“Yet they do so, because for so long, under previous administrations, whether military or democratic, tough decisions have been ducked, and challenges never fully met – with the effect of abetting these dangers and allowing them all to fester and grow,” the presidential spokesman claimed.
“It is only the Buhari leadership which has sought – ever, in over one hundred years – to identify the root causes of the herder-farmer clashes and find durable solutions.”
In July, the bandits shut down a Nigerian Air Force jet in Zamfara and invaded the Nigerian Defence Academy Kaduna the following month.
Although Buhari acknowledged bandits have been terrorising the country, his administration has been reluctant to declare bandits as terrorists because they have yet to declare a political or religious goal, a key requisite in designating a movement as terrorists under international regulations.
