A former Deputy Director of the Department of State Services (DSS), Dennis Amachree, has urged President Bola Tinubu to place the country’s declining security challenges above political considerations ahead of the 2027 general elections.
Speaking on Channels Television’s Sunday Politics, Amachree said the Federal Government must focus on getting security right across the country before it begins to shift its attention to campaign activities and electoral ambitions.
The President, he said, is under complex political pressures but insecurity should be the most important responsibility of the President as Commander-in-Chief of the Armed Forces.
He said the continued attacks, kidnappings and killings in different parts of the country require decisive leadership from the presidency.
“I feel sorry for the President at times because he has a lot of variables to deal with. “As he takes one step, he is also careful about his political party and supporters and trying not to step on certain toes,” he stated.
But he argued political considerations must not distract the government from addressing the security crisis.
“If he wants to come back as President, like Jonathan did, he should stop the political campaigns and confront the security problem headlong. First solve it. If we need help from outside, let’s get it. Then we can get back to campaigning. “If we are campaigning and people are being attacked, I don’t think the citizens will come out to vote,” he added.
The former intelligence officer insisted that the President must be at the forefront of any meaningful reform of Nigeria’s security architecture, adding that the National Assembly would not oppose any genuine effort to address insecurity.
We can begin with the Commander-in-Chief. He is the one who is dealing with the problem and will have the backing of the legislature with the necessary laws to do what has to be done. If they see he is serious, I think the National Assembly will support him wholeheartedly. “The buck stops on his table and that is where we should start,” Amachree said.
He also expressed disappointment at what he called the slow pace of legislative and policy reforms to strengthen internal security.
Amachree said the debate over state police has been going on for a long time, adding that it was surprising that things that should have been done long ago are still being discussed.
“It’s taking forever to beef up our security architecture. I have seen cases in Nigeria where bills are passed within a week. “One thing that should have been passed a long time ago was just approved a few days ago for state police, and now it still has to go through the states for consensus,” he said.
“Why did we spend so much time? There should have been greater urgency, given the security situation facing the country.”
His remarks come against the backdrop of renewed fears of rising insecurity, including the recent abduction of schoolchildren, teachers and other inhabitants in Oyo State. The incident caused protests and the Nigeria Union of Teachers (NUT) declared an indefinite strike in public schools in the affected areas.
