The Big Tent Coalition, led by
Prof. Pat Utomi, has condemned, in the strongest terms, the glaring hypocrisy,
incoherence, and lack of strategic clarity displayed by the Nigerian Federal
Government in its handling of Thursday night’s United States airstrikes against
ISIS-linked terrorists in North-west Nigeria.
It is now on record that the
Armed Forces of Nigeria, working in collaboration with the United States of
America, executed precision strikes against identified ISIS-linked elements in
Sokoto State, an operation subsequently confirmed by the Ministry of Foreign
Affairs, nearly 24 hours after the operation.
This development exposes a
staggering contradiction. Barely last month, the Presidency – through its
Special Adviser on Information and Strategy, Bayo Onanuga, publicly attacked
Peter Obi for stating that he would welcome U.S. military assistance if it helped
improve Nigeria’s security.
Onanuga went as far as declaring
that Nigerians would “never forget nor forgive” Obi for allegedly supporting
foreign intervention.
Today, the same administration
has endorsed and confirmed actual foreign military action on Nigerian
soil. This is not only hypocritical, it
is an indictment of a government that speaks without thinking, attacks without
reflection and governs without a coherent national security communication
strategy.
“The Tinubu administration owes
Peter Obi an immediate and unreserved apology. You cannot vilify a prominent
citizen for expressing a conditional policy opinion, only to turn around and
implement that very option in practice. This flip-flop exposes a government
that lacks clarity, coordination, and credibility in its approach to national
security,” Charles Odibo, Director of Media and Communication, Big Tent
Coalition, stated.
Beyond the apology owed to Obi,
the Big Tent Coalition is alarmed by the Federal Government’s disorganised and
belated communication on a matter as grave as foreign military operations
within Nigeria’s territory. While U.S. President Donald Trump personally
announced the strike on behalf of his country, Nigerians were left to piece
together fragmented confirmations from multiple officials, nearly 24 hours
after the fact, raising serious questions about leadership, transparency, and
sovereignty management.
According to Odibo, if, as now
admitted, Nigeria engaged in “structured security cooperation” with the United
States, why did the Presidency choose silence? Why were Nigerians subjected to
conflicting narratives from different arms of government? And why was a
presidential spokesperson so quick to politicise and demonise a patriotic
comment, only for the government to adopt the same course of action? The
security of Nigeria is too serious for propaganda, knee-jerk attacks, and
posturing. Leadership demands consistency, humility, and honesty with the
Nigerian people.
The Big Tent Coalition, therefore, calls on President Bola Tinubu to direct his spokesperson to formally apologise to Obi for the unjustified attack; institute discipline and coherence in government communication on national security matters;and personally address Nigerians on the nature, scope, and rules governing foreign security cooperation in Nigeria. Nigeria deserves a government that leads with clarity and strategy, not confusion or spite.
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