A former member of the House of Representatives and Chairman of the Convention Planning Committee of the Social Democratic Party, Usman Bugaje, has criticised the administration of President Bola Tinubu over the worsening security situation in the country, saying the government should apologise to Nigerians rather than seek a second term in office.
Bugaje made the remarks on Tuesday during an interview on Frontline, a current affairs programme on Eagle 102.5 FM, Ilese-Ijebu, Ogun State.
The former lawmaker accused the Federal Government of failing in its constitutional responsibility to protect lives and property, describing insecurity as the administration’s biggest failure.
“In terms of insecurity, I feel this government should be ashamed of itself. And they should be able to come out and say sorry to Nigerians that we have not been able to provide you security,” Bugaje said.
“And I am amazed that they had the audacity to now even want to continue for another term.”
According to him, the growing wave of kidnappings, killings and attacks across different parts of the country points to a deteriorating security situation.
He cited reports that many traditional rulers in the South-West no longer sleep in their palaces due to fear of attacks.
“We have seen the report that over 30 Obas, that is the traditional rulers in the South-West, don’t sleep in their palaces because over a dozen of them have been attacked, kidnapped or somehow put in harm’s way. So, that itself says a lot. It speaks volumes of the insecurity in this country,” he stated.
Bugaje also expressed concern over reports that Nigerians paid over N2.2tn in ransom to criminal groups within one year, arguing that the figures expose the scale of the country’s security challenge.
“I remember the National Bureau for Statistics issued a statistics, which was reported by a number of papers, that over N2.2tn, just between 2023 and 2024, in one year, has been paid to bandits as ransom,” he said.
“Now, if the state is allocating an amount that is even less than what the bandits are collecting, it means that the bandits are in a position to have more money than the state for security, which means that the state is even defeated.”
The SDP chieftain further lamented the impact of insecurity on food production, noting that many farmers in parts of northern Nigeria had abandoned their farms for fear of attacks.
“Farmers now cannot go to the farm. In Zamfara, in Katsina, in Sokoto and in so many other places. So, who is going to be in the farm?” he queried.
Recalling the abduction and killing of a prominent farmer despite the payment of ransom, Bugaje said the incident demonstrated the increasing boldness of criminal elements.
“One of the major farmers, one of the biggest farmers, actually was abducted. He had to give N500m as ransom. And you know what happened? Even after that they killed him. They collected the money but they killed him. So it means that the state has been defeated,” he said.
Bugaje maintained that there was no justification for what he described as the government’s inability to address insecurity effectively.
“So honestly, I can’t see any excuse for this government for not performing its constitutional duty, its fundamental constitutional duty. For me, there is no point for them to even ask for another term if they fail,” he added.
Responding to claims by some government officials that insecurity was being exaggerated to discredit the administration, the former lawmaker dismissed the assertion.
“Well, I first laugh at that stupidity of the government that is making these statements. Because it’s too obvious. It is too obvious that this government is entrusted. They don’t have the political will to go after these people,” Bugaje said.
