Tinubu, Beware Of The Ides Of March In 2027

The present wave of insecurity and banditry is on the upsurge, with recurring attacks rendering and revealing the present war against terror as drowning in inefficiency. As the nation that suffers from the conspiratorial theorists of politicians in the race to wrest power from the incumbent administration, Nigeria is becoming more unsafe, as criminals are not letting go of their determination to portray Nigeria as one of the most terrorised nations in the world.

During Thursday’s swearing-in of the new Inspector General of Police (IGP), Tunde Disu, President Bola Ahmed Tinubu left no one in doubt that the twin evils of terrorism and banditry were major challenges faced by the nation. He charged the new police boss to be a part of the innovation that will bring solutions in combating criminals who are turning our country into hair-raising crime scenes.  Tinubu’s assessment of the current security situation was not only appropriate but also devoid of a hypocritical evaluation.

Not Good Signs

Analysts, including yours sincerely, have predicted that the drumbeat of insecurity is bound to increase as the general elections draw nearer.  When the Independent National Electoral Commission (INEC) announced the revised new timetable for the 2027 polls to January 16, instead of February 20, the urgency to contain these criminals in their bloody endeavours has now become unavoidable, the need to play less politics but concentrate more on securing the country from these terror groups remains the only option of avoiding the Ides of March for Tinubu in next year’s elections. There’s a need for the top echelon of our country’s defence forces to rededicate themselves to the imperatives of defeating these terror groups that have become more daring in portraying our nation as a revolting cynosure of a killing field.

The appointment of the former Chief of Defence Staff, Gen. Christopher Gwabin Musa (retd), resuscitated waning faith, with many expressing hope that he would replicate some of the sterling footprints he left behind when he served in the terror war command in the North-east zone. Less than three months after his appointment as Defence Minister, professional distractors have unwillingly conscripted him into a phantom race to replace Vice President Kashim Shettima as Tinubu’s running mate. More disturbing to the performance of his duties is his penchant for the floodlights.

In the face of galloping insecurity trailing some parts of the country, the resort to deploying social media platforms where some persons were seen doling out money and rice to some Muslims and Christians, and requesting prayers for the Defence Minister, does more harm than good to his office. Dissenting tunes over who becomes Tinubu’s running mate have continued, but Musa must avoid anything linking him with the 2027 nomination. Like the Minister of Information, Hon Mohammed Idris, who quickly debunked news of an alleged interest in the Niger governorship race, Musa should issue an instant refutation to dismiss political jobbers.

Gathering Storm

Despite trillions of naira expended on security matters, securing the lives and property of Nigerians has continued to remain a wishful thinking. The unwillingness of the political elite to stamp out terrorism remains the reason behind the continued festering of bloody attacks. When security matters are weaponised, as was introduced ahead of the 2015 polls, the objective of ending insecurity takes a backseat. In the new alignment to convince the public that something is being done, the Defence Ministry recently mulled the idea of deploying retired military personnel to ungoverned spaces found in many of the nation’s forests. What happens to the Forest Guard initiative under the office of the National Security Adviser (NSA)? The arming of a group to infiltrate the camp of terrorists in Kwara State communities has portrayed how we resort to weak strategies in dealing with security issues.

Prowling Critics

Having mixed the need for the security of our nation with the oil of politics, the hope of emancipating besieged citizens from the claws of killers has been turned into a fruitless venture. The wave of crimes wreaking havoc in some parts of our nation is threatening the foundations of Nigeria, with the spike in insecurity driving our country down the slippery slope of more bloodshed and tension.

Added to the rampaging spate of insecurity is the failure of the power sector. Those living in cities may be safe from illegal armed men, but they are not immune to the tragedy called Nigeria’s power sector. Our hospitals are worse than consulting clinics, with drugs worth more than billions of naira siphoned and sold to private pharmacists. Minister of the Federal Capital Territory (FCT) Barrister Nyesome Wike recently disconnected the airport streetlights from the national grid when he installed solar lights last year. The implication is grim for the Abuja Electricity Distribution Company (AEDC) as many residents are now resorting to alternative sources of power. As Nigerians face a future devoid of stable power, the new tax regime is causing ripples among some companies, as some of them are being issued notices to pay hundreds of millions of naira as taxes or risk having their accounts deactivated. To tax companies based on the volumes of financial inflows in their accounts without examining profits realised is simply untenable. For a government that is going to the polls next year, a little patience is needed.

With less than a year to the polls, the government should re-align the imperatives of securing citizens as its most urgent objective that must be met, no matter whose ox is gored. This objective can only be met when the Defence Ministry, under the supervision of the NSA, refuses to let go of the mandate of securing citizens from terror groups that are irredeemably determined to bring about chaos before, during, or after the polls. That is the only way of avoiding the Ides of March for not only Tinubu, but also democracy, and possibly the country.