The special adviser to President Bola Ahmed Tinubu on Media and Public Communications, Sunday Dare, has defended the Tinubu administration’s handling of Nigeria’s security challenges, insisting the President is actively working behind the scenes to tackle growing concerns across the country.
Speaking with ARISE NEWS on Tuesday in an interview, Dare refuted claims that President Tinubu responded 16 days after the kidnapping of school children and teachers in Oyo state, rather insisting that the President’s response to the abductions in Oyo state was not slow, but immediate.
“The response of the federal government has not been slow. If you monitor the developments very steadily, when it occurred, in less than 24 hours there was a response—a statement by Mr. President condemning it and activating all levers of the security organization to move to that place.
“Thereafter, less than 48 hours after, the IG, Tunji Disu, personally went right into those villages to engage with the community leaders, the hunters, and the families and relatives of those involved. So, to say it was slow… it was not slow, but you have to follow a process,” he maintained.
Adding, he said: “Let me say that the President is deeply troubled. Not just by what took place—the abduction Ahoro-Esinele, Yawota, and Alawusa communities within the Oriire Local Government Area, near the Ogbomoso area—he is deeply troubled about it. Since that occurred about two weeks ago, we’ve seen various levers of government, especially security, both kinetic and non-kinetic, move into the place.”
The SA who previously served as Nigeria’s Minister of Youth and Sports Development from 2019 to 2023, and was also Executive Commissioner for Stakeholder Management at the Nigerian Communications Commission, further highlighted several other measures the federal government had taken to ensure the safe return of those kidnapped.
“When you add that to the ongoing efforts in terms of activating the special forces—those that have the skills for rescue—we already have teams like that. You look at the tanks, the soldiers that have gone there. The cordon that has been taking place—that area has been cordoned off to make sure that at least they are able to entrap both the attackers and their victims. All of those have been going on effectively. Then that culminated eventually in that high-powered delegation—a high-powered security delegation that went there. Before they got there, the President had already taken certain decisions. A directive to employ 1,000 forest guards, and also the call for a military base in that area. So, I think there’s a lot that’s going on.”
Dare, who was part of the President’s delegation to Ogbomoso, Oyo State, also said rescue operations are sensitive, hence the federal government cannot disclose every detail publicly.
“Of course, when you also do rescue operations, everything is not out there on the open radar because sensitive information, movements of troops, and the rest are taking place. You don’t put all of that out because these people also have communication gadgets and the rest. So, it has not been slow,” he stressed.
Speaking more on the security situation in Ogbomoso, Dare said the federal government has done enough for the people, while acknowledging that more development is still needed in the area.
“Absolutely, the government has done enough. The government is doing enough for the Ogbomoso people, and there are other indicators.”
He noted that the recent kidnappings in Yawata were isolated incidents linked to difficult terrain around the Old Forest Reserve, which stretches across several states and remains challenging to police effectively.
“Let me say the security situation we have now in the Ogbomoso area in Oyo State is isolated. It’s not something that has occurred in the past. When you look at the population—we often talk about the population alone, but we don’t talk about the land size—and that’s important. What it takes to effectively provide security for the entirety of the country… let me situate it properly. That area of Isila and Yawata is hemmed within the forest reserve—they call it the Old Forest Reserve—that traverses about 11 states, cutting across Niger, Kwara, stretching as far as Niger. When you look at it, how do you police that entirety? It’s a thick forest. We were there—an extremely thick forest. We have stories about it. Along that place, you only have… government presence is not much. But again, it’s beyond just Ogbomoso; it’s about the challenges the country faces,” he said.
According to him, the Tinubu administration has continued to expand federal presence in Ogbomoso through infrastructure and security interventions. He cited the Oyo-Ogbomoso road project, which he said moved from about 60 percent completion to 87 percent under the current administration.
“But when you look at the Oyo-Ogbomoso road, it was almost just 60% completed and abandoned. We’ve seen the President take it over; it’s now at 87% completion. We have seen the presence of federal projects in Ogbomoso,” he shared.
Responding to concerns that the federal government’s actions were merely reactive, Dare rejected claims that the deployment of 1,000 forest guards and other security measures were knee-jerk responses to the Ogbomoso attacks.
“You have a government under President Bola Tinubu that has engaged itself when it comes to fighting terrorism—a solid commitment in that respect. So, the question of a knee-jerk response doesn’t come in,” he stressed.
He argued that the Tinubu administration has maintained a sustained commitment to tackling insecurity across the country, citing ongoing counter-insurgency operations in states such as Yobe, Borno, Niger and Kwara.
“Look at the string of attacks, look at the string of responses, and look at some of the achievements that have been made. Why do we just stay with when it bleeds? Why don’t we also stay with the fact that we are seeing the pressing against the terrorists, which has forced them from Birnin Kebbi to Niger, to parts of Kwara, pushing them into the fringes? When you look at the geographical stretch, that’s the way it goes as they are pressed and as the counter-insurgency succeeds.
“We are also losing men. Just in Yobe the other day, more than 19 officers were killed. So, you must look at the totality. Yes, Ogbomoso has occurred, showing that we need to be more concerted. What else do you want a President to do? He has done whatever is necessary so far: provide the resources, provide the support. He has ordered that attack helicopters should come in. We are increasing the number of soldiers.”
Rating President Tinubu’s performance on security, Dare said he scores the President very high, citing sustained efforts against insecurity, ongoing military operations, and a balanced approach to counter-insurgency while managing civilian protection concerns.
“I rate his performance high—very high. Because when it comes to widespread killings, killings occur everywhere. Like I said, there’s no silver bullet. I think when you measure the President when it comes to security—and anywhere else in the world—you measure it based on the engagement, on the steps.
“So, we must also pay attention to the successes recorded. But then, not quieting down on the challenges. Are there security challenges? Absolutely. Are these challenges being confronted? Absolutely. Also, kinetic, non-kinetic—the government has a choice. Sweep the forest, wipe them out, kill them. But then, collateral damage. Do you want to kill these young people, infants, and children? So, like the Defense Minister said, they are working with boots on the ground, in the air, and on land, but they are mindful of the fact that there are young people, infants, and children that deserve to live. So, there are tough choices to make. Tough choices,” he explained.
,The presidential spokesperson dismissed claims that the delegation sent by the president to Ogbomoso was merely for political optics, insisting that it included top security officials and reflected a coordinated, high-level response to the crisis.
Let’s look at the composition. You have the National Security Adviser, who sits at the top of the security architecture of the country. You have the Defense Minister, who also sits at that level. You have the IG of Police, and you know the police is the largest, the closest to the civilian population. When you have the high command… of course, the Chief of Army Staff, they are busy doing other stuff. How do you refer to that delegation as a weak delegation?”, he quizzed.
Emphasising the impact of the administration’s reforms, Dare said Nigeria is on a recovery path despite short-term economic hardship, noting that policy decisions such as subsidy removal and exchange rate reforms were necessary for long-term stability.
” The question I always insist we interrogate is: where was this country when President Bola Tinubu took over in May 2023? What was the situation then? Where would we have been if he had not done anything? If he had not removed the subsidy, if he had not stabilized the exchange market, if he had not introduced key policies like NELFUND, the Dangote refinery coming on, etc.?
“I say these reforms have placed Nigeria firmly on the path of recovery,” he stressed.
Dare maintained that the administration should not be judged on “failures” midstream, but on measurable progress over time, arguing that President Tinubu’s reforms have strengthened key economic indicators.
“This conversation is not about focusing on failures. It’s focused on meeting the challenges. There have been attempts to resolve challenges. Some of the solutions might not have been able to resolve those challenges in their entirety. And when it comes to reforms, reforms are progressive and measurable. What we’re saying is, at the point we are—three years, 1,095 days into this administration—we are standing on solid ground to say we have measurable successes. And that’s what we look at,” Dare said.
He added that Nigeria’s economic direction reflects increasing diversification, with rising non-oil revenues and exports, stressing that the country’s performance should be assessed by what has changed over the past three years and the direction it is heading, which he described as a more stable economy supported by ongoing policies and social interventions.
“We are having a diversification of our economy. The non-oil revenues are increasing. Our exports have gone up. And we see a stable economy. We see initiatives and policies that are working. We see scalability in taking care of our vulnerable people. We see a president at work for Nigeria,” he concluded.
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