Presidency to Obasanjo: Terrorism began under your watch

The Presidency has issued a sharp response to former President Olusegun Obasanjo after he criticized President Bola Ahmed Tinubu over Nigeria’s worsening security situation, saying Obasanjo lacks the moral standing to make such comments.

Obasanjo, speaking at an event in Jos, Plateau State, on Friday, expressed grave concern over rising insecurity and suggested that Nigerians might be justified in seeking foreign intervention due to what he called the government’s failure to protect its citizens.

But in a counterstatement shared on X by the Special Adviser to the President on Media and Public Communication, Sunday Dare, the Presidency accused Obasanjo of laying the foundations of terrorism during his time in office.

The statement argued that Boko Haram’s ideological roots and early structures emerged under Obasanjo’s civilian administration, alleging that the government at the time failed to act decisively when extremist cells first began organising.

“Recent comments by a former President and a few habitual presidential aspirants attempting to portray the Tinubu administration as ‘unable to protect Nigerians’ are not only hypocritical but ignoble,” the Presidency said.

“They ignore the reality that Nigeria is confronting terrorists at every level—international, regional and domestic.”

It added that those who neglected the early signs of terrorism “cannot now sit in judgment” over current efforts to restore security.

The Presidency condemned Obasanjo’s suggestion that President Tinubu should seek foreign assistance if tackling insecurity becomes overwhelming, calling the proposal “an abdication of responsibility” and not the mark of true leadership.

“The idea that Nigeria should outsource its internal security to foreign governments is not statesmanship; it is capitulation,” the statement read.

“Before recommending surrender, the former President should reflect on the actions he failed to take when terrorists began organising under his watch.”

The government stressed that the country is dealing with a complex matrix of terrorism driven by various groups and networks, including foreign-designated terrorist organisations, Sahel-based jihadist affiliates, local violent extremists posing as bandits, and cross-border cells exploiting porous frontiers.

“These actors collaborate in ideology, weapons supply, logistics and funding.

“Their common objective is to destabilise Nigeria and subjugate its people,” the statement added.

Reiterating its stance, the Presidency maintained that Nigeria would welcome international cooperation but would neither relinquish its sovereignty nor “raise a white flag.”

“Nigeria will collaborate globally, especially with the United States and other allies, but it will not outsource its security,” the statement said.

“The threats are transnational, and every ungoverned space must be addressed.”