Mr Peter Obi, a former Governor of Anambra State, has faulted President Bola Ahmed Tinubu’s approval for the recruitment of 1,000 forest guards in Oyo State following the abduction of 46 innocent Nigerians, including teachers, students, and pupils, from schools in Oyo last month, news.ng reports.
Obi, in a post on X Friday night, described the move by the President as a sign of poor leadership.
The former Labour Party (LP) presidential candidate blamed the Tinubu administration for being reactive, which he said has brought the country to its knees through policies such as the removal of the fuel subsidy and the floating of the naira.
Obi advised that the recruitment of additional security personnel should be organized and well thought out.
The chieftain of the Nigerian Democratic Congress (NDC) questioned whether the recruitment of forest guards will be applicable to the 36 states of the federation, considering the different nature of insecurity in these states.
He said, “In a hasty effort to be perceived as attentive and courageous, it is reported that President Bola Tinubu has approved the recruitment of about 1000 forest guards for Oyo State. This is a further demonstration of poor leadership and attending to very serious governance and security issues with a reactive approach. It is the same reactive approach that led to the sudden removal of fuel subsidy and floating of the Naira that has caused irreparable damage to ordinary Nigerians and the economy.
“While recruiting more security personnel for Oyo State and the country is important, it should be done in a more organized and well-thought-out manner. Presently, almost all the 36 states in Nigeria are experiencing different forms of insecurity, with Oyo, Plateau, Kwara, Kogi, Borno, Katsina, Anambra, Niger, Imo, and Sokoto being very alarming.
“The question, such as the reactive approach of our president, is whether all the states will receive the same approval to recruit 1,000 forest guards per state, that is, 37,000 forest guards for the 36 states and Abuja, or is the recruitment approval based on the mood of the president? Moreover, with the approval for Oyo, what will happen to the Amotekun Corps that is trying its best to secure South-West Nigeria?. Will they be disbanded in Oyo State?”
He further condemned Tinubu’s style of leadership, which he said has led to the reported deaths of over 10,000 innocent Nigerians since the beginning of his administration in 2023, thereby giving the country a bad name among the comity of nations.
According to Obi, if leadership fails, it will trickle down to every facet of the country.
“The pervasive insecurity we currently have is directly related to the failure of our ecosystem, particularly leadership. It is only failure in leadership that can lead to the death of over 10,000 innocent Nigerians since 2023, and Nigeria is ranked among the top-most terror-affected countries in the world.
“Addressing our insecurity situation requires a holistic or what can be described as an ecosystem approach. With failure in leadership, there is failure in unifying our dear nation, failure in industrialization, failure in harnessing our abundant resources in agriculture, minerals, tourism, water, sports, and even oil and gas to effectively generate required revenue, growth, and particularly jobs for our exponentially growing youth population,” he noted.
