Presidential candidate of the Accord Party, Dr. Gbenga Olawepo-Hashim, has criticised President Bola Tinubu’s administration, accusing it of lacking a clear strategy to address Nigeria’s worsening insecurity.
In a statement issued on Tuesday, Olawepo-Hashim condemned the recent killings in Kaduna, Zamfara and Plateau states, as well as the abduction of several residents in Kebbi State, including a High Court judge.
He described the security situation as a full-scale war, arguing that the Federal Government has failed to adopt a coherent strategy capable of defeating terrorism and restoring peace across the country.
The Accord Party flagbearer urged the Federal Government to immediately overhaul Nigeria’s security architecture, reclaim the initiative from terrorists and adopt a proactive approach focused on preventing attacks rather than responding after they occur.
According to him, terrorists and armed criminal groups continue to dictate the pace of the conflict by deciding when, where and how to strike, while innocent Nigerians continue to bear the consequences.
“Every day, terrorists retain the initiative while innocent Nigerians pay with their lives. The time has come to stop managing insecurity and launch a real offensive aimed at winning the war,” he said.
Olawepo-Hashim further claimed that more than 30,000 people had been killed within the first three years of the Tinubu administration, while over 3.7 million Nigerians remain displaced in Internally Displaced Persons (IDP) camps, unable to return to their communities.
He warned that the persistent violence has become a national emergency, weakening national unity, worsening poverty, threatening food security, discouraging investment and damaging Nigeria’s international reputation.
Emphasising that the primary responsibility of any government is the protection of lives and property, he said no nation can achieve meaningful development while its citizens live under constant fear of terrorists and criminal gangs.
Olawepo-Hashim argued that Nigeria’s current security response remains largely reactive and called for a comprehensive national security strategy built on intelligence gathering, precision military operations, effective border control, community policing, modern surveillance technology, disruption of terrorist financing, a credible criminal justice system and stronger defence cooperation with neighbouring countries.
He maintained that wars are won by preventing enemies from carrying out attacks rather than merely responding after lives have been lost.
While expressing sympathy to families affected by the recent attacks, the Accord Party presidential candidate insisted that repeated condolences are no longer enough, stressing that only bold leadership and an effective security strategy can restore lasting peace and security across Nigeria.
