Former Secretary to the Government of the Federation (SGF), Chief Olu Falae says insecurity, especially in Northern Nigeria, is so bad that it is a “near-war situation”.
The former Finance Minister explained that because of the deplorable security situation, elderly influential persons from the North have abandoned the region to hole up in Abuja.
Falae also lamented the deep divisions in the country, noting that President Muhammadu Buhari has dashed the high hopes many had before casting their votes for him in 2015.
On life under the Buhari government, Falae said, “It has been a very difficult time. Security has never been as bad as this in our entire history.
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:”Nigerians have never been this divided. In fact, we should look for another term to describe the near-war situation we are going through. When people were voting for him, the expectation from him as a General was that of an uncompromising man of discipline, that, within months, he will finish off Boko Haram and we will all live in peace but the opposite has been the case.
“And everything else depends on security. You have to be alive and well to know that there is something called education; that before you can even eat and wear clothes, you have to be alive and well, and that depends on security.
“Security has been in complete shambles. If a saint becomes President tomorrow, how and where is he going to start from? Is it with Boko Haram, with bandits or herdsmen? Where is he going to start from? I saw on social media that before Fulani herdsmen left Ekiti area, some boys had understudied them and they have now become graduate kidnappers. So, this is the legacy of this administration.
“It has been a complete crisis. People of my age and status cannot live in their homes in any part of the North. Most of them now are hiding in Abuja, including traditional rulers. It is terrible. I know Buhari would want it to be otherwise but it is not otherwise, it is the way it is.”
Falae thanked Ondo governor, Rotimi Akeredolu for his “fantastic” approach to tackling insecurity in the state
Describing the governor as a true son of the land, Falae said that soon after the senior lawyer became governor, “we had a meeting and we discussed the issue of security. I used my kidnap to illustrate the very serious situation. I didn’t know it was going to get much worse.
“I pleaded with him to talk to his colleagues in the South-West to do something about the security situation, that security is fundamental to any other thing. \”I’m not claiming that it is because of that advice that he did what he did. But it is a historical fact that we had that meeting and I made that plea.
“It is also a historical fact that he played a leading role in the creation of Amotekun. There was a time some of the governors appeared to be wavering and hesitant but Akeredolu was firm all the way.”