By: Manoah Kikekon
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| Tunji Ogabi and President Tinubu |
ABUJA, NIGERIA — Public administrator, public affairs commentator, and community development advocate, Prince Tunji Ogabi, has issued a sobering warning to President Bola Ahmed Tinubu, stating that the administration's legacy and the nation's political trajectory ahead of 2027 hang heavily on its ability to protect Nigerian citizens.
In a press statement made available toNews Peddler on Saturday, June 6, 2026, Ogabi asserted that Nigeria has arrived at a critical crossroads where executive promises must give way to undeniable, forceful action on the security front.
Ogabi's intervention comes in the wake of the recent kidnapping of school children and their teachers in Oyo State. He noted that the traumatic incident has reignited deep-seated national anxieties, drawing painful historical comparisons to one of Nigeria's dark chapters.
> “There are moments in the life of every nation when leadership is tested not by promises or policies, but by its ability to protect the lives of its citizens. Nigeria stands at such a moment today. The recent kidnapping of school children and their teachers in Oyo State has reopened painful wounds and revived a fear no parent should ever have to live with: the fear that a child may leave for school and never return home.”
The public affairs analyst explicitly reminded the presidency that security lapses have historically broken administrations and reshaped voting patterns, particularly as the country steadily creeps toward the 2027 general elections.
“For many Nigerians, these incidents bring back memories of the Chibok girls' abduction in 2014, an event that became more than a security failure. It shaped public perception, altered political fortunes, and left a lasting mark on our national consciousness.”
Invoking regional wisdom to drive home the urgency of the situation, Ogabi referenced a classic Yoruba proverb:
“As the nation moves toward 2027, insecurity is increasingly becoming the issue dominating public discourse. History reminds us that security challenges can overshadow every other achievement of government. As our Yoruba elders wisely say, 'Ikú tó pa ojúgbà ẹni, òwe ló ń pa fún ẹni' (the tragedy that befalls another serves as a lesson to those who remain).”
According to the advocate, treating current criminal activities as isolated localized events misjudges the psychological warfare being waged against the state. He argued that armed cartels are intentionally undermining federal authority to broadcast a false narrative of state helplessness.
Ogabi emphasized that economic indicators cannot substitute for basic physical safety, especially when citizens are forced to live under constant fear.
“Insecurity is not merely a security problem. It is political, economic, and psychological. It weakens public confidence, discourages investment, undermines institutions, and creates doubt about the state's capacity to protect its people. The kidnappers understand this reality. Their objective goes beyond ransom. Through every video, every threat, and every act of terror, they seek to spread fear, project strength, and create the impression that government is powerless.”
“Mr. President, Nigerians have shown remarkable patience. Many citizens continue to endure economic hardship because they believe in the promise of a better future. Yet no economic reform can flourish where fear reigns, and no parent can celebrate statistics while worrying about the safety of their child.”
To permanently dismantle these operations, Ogabi called for an extraordinary security response that looks beyond the foot soldiers hiding in regional forests. He pressed the federal government to deploy all financial intelligence frameworks to isolate and prosecute the corporate and logistical backbones of these syndicates.
“The time has come for a response so decisive, coordinated, and effective that it fundamentally changes the calculations of those who have chosen a life of violence. This should not be treated as just another kidnapping incident. It should become the catalyst for a comprehensive national offensive against kidnapping, banditry, terrorism, and violent criminality across the country.”
“The kidnappers are only the visible face of a larger network. Behind them are financiers, informants, suppliers, collaborators, and beneficiaries of insecurity. The fight must extend beyond the forests to the structures that sustain these criminal enterprises.”
In his final address, the community advocate charged the country’s armed forces to build a unified operational front to quickly rescue current captives, restore peace to rural communities, and fulfill the fundamental constitutional purpose of governance.
“Mr. President, the nation is watching, the world is watching, and history is watching. The victims deserve rescue, their families deserve hope, and Nigerians deserve peace. This is the moment to act. This is the moment to lead. And this is the moment to reassure every Nigerian that the protection of innocent lives remains the first duty of government. God bless the Federal Republic of Nigeria!”