Security: The First Principle Tinubu’s Third Year Has Failed

 

  

An Assessment of Year 3  

By Hon. Leye Igbabo

Nigeria’s Constitution places two duties above all others: security and welfare of the people. Three years into President Bola Ahmed Tinubu’s administration, one fact is clear — the government has failed the first duty, and without it, the second has collapsed.

For 27 years of the Fourth Republic, Nigerians have watched governments launch projects with fanfare and abandon them to rot. The Abuja-Lokoja-Akure road since 1999. The Lagos-Ibadan-Ore road for decades. Now, the Lagos-Calabar Coastal Road — announced with ceremony, shrouded in secrecy, and already looking like another conduit for moving public funds into private pockets. Mr. President, Nigerians have seen this movie before. In year 3, the promise was “Renewed Hope”. What we have is “Renewed Disappointment”.

The truth is brutal: insecurity has worsened, not improved. Across Nigeria, movement, farming, commerce, and daily life are under siege. Bandits and terrorists operate with the confidence of actors who know the state is either unwilling or unable to stop them. In this climate, every promise of welfare becomes a cruel joke. Food subsidies mean nothing when farmers cannot reach their farms. Health schemes mean nothing when patients cannot get to hospitals. No economy can grow when citizens live in fear.

Year 3 Verdict  

No political will: If security were the priority, the budget, appointments, and daily actions of the presidency would reflect it. They do not.  

Overstretched, ill-equipped forces: Our security agencies remain undermanned and poorly equipped. Drones, surveillance, and intelligence that should have been procured in year 1 are still “under consideration” in year 3.  

Collusion and compromise: Until the government enforces discipline and purges saboteurs within the security ranks, this war will drag on. The enemy within is doing more damage than the enemy in the bush.  

White elephant distractions: While insecurity festers, the administration chases expensive, opaque projects that serve optics more than Nigerians. That is a misplacement of priorities.

Mr. President, Nigerians did not vote for excuses in 2023. They voted for protection. Three years later, the constitutional contract remains broken. A government that cannot secure its people has no moral right to demand their patience, their taxes, or their trust.

Year 3 was supposed to be the year of results. Instead, it is the year Nigerians were forced to accept that security is still not the first principle of this administration. Until that changes, we will continue to speak for millions who live in fear while government lives in denial.

Hon. Leye Igbabo is a public affairs analyst and social commentator. He is also the National Publicity Secretary of the All Democratic Alliance (ADA).