North whipping up ethnic sentiments against Tinubu, can’t be blamed for insecurity – Shehu Sani

Former Kaduna Central Senator, Shehu Sani, has accused the northern part of Nigeria of whipping up ethnic and sectional sentiment against President Bola Tinubu, adding that the opposition should stop blaming the president for insecurity in the region.

Sani urged the opposition to use a valid campaign strategy rather than de-marketing the image of the country and attacking the achievements of the Tinubu-led administration, stating that insecurity has abated under the present administration.

Speaking at a press conference in Abuja, the civil rights activist faulted the message of doom by the opposition, stressing that they are pontificating themselves as if they hold the magic wand to end insecurity within hours.

He recalled that northerners held almost all security agencies from 2015 to 2023, during the late President Muhammadu Buhari administration, yet insecurity in the North was at its peak throughout, compared to how it has abated now.

According to Sani:

“Kidnappings are still going on in some parts of the state, and there are still bandit attacks in some parts of the state. But if you will compare the situation with what was before 2023, you will appreciate the effort and the investment made by Tinubu as far as the security of our state is concerned.

“These were politicians who were once in PDP and they were once in APC, and they failed to address those fundamental issues which today they are raising their eyebrow and raising a lot of propaganda.

“What is happening today in the northern part of Nigeria is that there is ethnic and sectional sentiment being whipped up against the person of Mr President for political reasons. Well, to me, I know it very well that the problems we are facing as a country today is not different from the one we faced when Buhari was in power.

“When Buhari was at the helm of affairs of this country, he came from the northern part of Nigeria, and at a certain time, when he was in power, almost all the security apparatus of this country was headed by northerners.

“The Chief of Defence Staff was from the north, the Chief of Army Staff was from the north, the Chief of Air Staff was from the north, the Chief of Naval Staff was from the north.

“We even had a Minister of Defence who came from Zamfara State. At that very time, the Controller General of Nigerian Customs Service, Hamid Ali, was from the north. The Controller of Immigration, Babandede, was from the north. The head of the Civil Defence was from the north. The IG of Police, Alkali, was from the north. The DG, DSS, Abba Kyari, was from the north. The DG of NIA from Kaduna State was also from the northern part of Nigeria.

“So if those people who held those positions and manning the security and defence apparatus of the state could not automatically address the insecurity that pervades the North with the snap of a finger, so how are you expecting that others should be able to do that?

“And let us put it into proper perspective. When Buhari took over office from 2015 to 2019, he was not able to address the banditry in the North. He was not able to address the terrorism in the northeastern part of Nigeria. What did they do? They said they should give him a second chance so that he would be able to do it. So what is the difference at this very time? It is important that people should take on government on issues and not hide behind ethnic and religious sentiment in order to achieve a certain political goal.

“I know that in politics you can use every weapon for you to get into power, but you shouldn’t lie. The idea of even saying that subsidy will be returned, for anyone who has been to school, not just anyone who has been to school, anyone who is knowledgeable on the economics of oil importation and the reality of Nigeria’s economy knows that it was simply an outright deception.

“I can understand if a Nigerian presidential candidate will say, I will reactivate and refurbish Nigeria’s refinery so that we can refine our product and sell it to our people. But for anyone to profess that the alternative to the removal of subsidy is reintroduction of subsidy, not reactivation of our refinery, shows how clueless they are in their own economic thinking.”

North whipping up ethnic sentiments against Tinubu, can’t be blamed for insecurity – Shehu Sani